


The Temple of Omega

by BlueStarPaladin, MsBluebell



Series: Space Moms Write Klance [7]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alpha Lotor (Voltron), Alpha Sendak (Voltron), Alpha Shiro (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Ancient Egypt, Aromantic Asexual Pidge | Katie Holt, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Coming Out, F/F, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gay Keith (Voltron), Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt Lance (Voltron), Insecure Lance (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Oblivious Keith (Voltron), Omega Allura (Voltron), Omega James Griffin, Omega Keith (Voltron), Omega Lance (Voltron), Omega Pidge | Katie Holt, Omega Verse, Orphan Keith (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Sexuality Crisis, Slow Burn, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-09-02 19:31:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 82,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16793335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueStarPaladin/pseuds/BlueStarPaladin, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsBluebell/pseuds/MsBluebell
Summary: Egyptian Omega are brought to the sacred temple of Taweret once they present. They are worshipped as the vessels of the goddess they represent and treated as divine beings. The Omega's every comfort and need is met within the temple.Lance is a poor Egyptian native that presented as an Omega within his home village. Keith, a Greek living on the border, presented as an Omega and thus he was brought to the temple as well. Pidge, a Trojan, had been on a diplomatic trip with her father when she presented earlier than expected.Did the three of them arrive to the temple at the same time by coincidence or is it the will of the gods themselves that had a hand in their coming?(An AU where Keith, Lance and Pidge are Omega that are trying to get used to living in the temple. Complicated by their differentiating preferences in mates.)





	1. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance, Keith and Pidge may have presented at different times but they arrive at the Omega Temple at the same time. Is it the will of the gods or pure coincidence? Only time will tell.

The desert sand glimmered almost gold beneath the sunlight. Trickling light shining as the setting sun sank beneath the horizon, leaving bleeding colors of reds and blues behind. It was the passing of the great chariot they said, Ra himself being swallowed by Nut, readying himself for rebirth at sunrise.

The capital was finally in sight, and they would probably arrive at the temple just after nightfall. Good, it had been days since he’d been anywhere but this boat, exempting a few bathroom breaks and dinners by the campfire. The guards had been diligent in their work, keeping everyone and anyone away since they’d first came and took him from his village.

He could see the firelights of the temple from here, only just being lit. The building was massive, slightly smaller than the palace, and it was somewhat intimidating to a simple village boy like himself.

Well, he _was_ a simple village boy.

Lance snorted as he buried his face in his knees, arms wrapped around his legs. He’d been on this boat for five days now. He guesses he’s lucky, one of his guards said they caught another boy like him on the border to the sea and he had to travel by cart. That trip would have taken much longer than five days. It’s probably a good thing that he’d been born to a family of fishers on the river side, at least he got faster travel that way.

He can’t imagine traveling with these guards much longer. Everything turned strange ever since he’d presented.

So far he’d been an Omega for about twelve days and it had done nothing but ruin his life.

Presenting had been awful, the growing itch inside of him, then the overbearing heat. It was weird, unexpected. He always thought that he’d be an Alpha, like his brother Marco. He considered being a Beta, like the rest of his siblings, but he’d been pretty sure he’d be an Alpha. He was emotional enough, most people said, and had a better nose than any of his siblings.

For some reason Omega never crossed his mind. It just didn’t seem possible. Omega were far away, some kind of fairytale. He never even considered it. He should have, because that made his surprise Heat worse. He hadn’t been ready for it, had thought he was coming down with a fever. He was lucky his family was there, that they realized what happened and were able to make him a good nest and get him through his Heat safely.

Still, after it was over he had to go.

Now here he was, just outside the city gates and heading straight towards the temple, ready to start his new life.

To get through the gate, however, Lance had to change his mode of transport. His guards expertly steered his boat close to the shore where another group of guards awaited him with a cart all ready to take him to the temple. Stepping on sand, Lance’s blue eyes looked up at the magnificent structure of the temple, admiring it in all its glory. The temple was beautiful, worthy of housing the gods themselves: the Omega.

And soon he’d join their ranks now that he presented as one. If he didn’t know better, Lance would think that he’s dreaming. He tried to pinch himself, absolutely sure that he’d wake up from this to find himself back in his bedroom, looking out at the river Nile from his window. He slapped his cheeks lightly when pinches didn’t work, which meant that this was anything but a dream.

It was all real, so very real.

Lance was an Omega, and as an Omega, he would be worshipped and treated as a god. Omegas were few in number but that is due to how they are the embodiment of Taweret, goddess of birth. They’re also very fertile in nature, able to conceive with even the most infertile partners. His people treated them as gods themselves, and once you presented as an Omega, it meant that you’d be taken away from your home to live within the temple where all Omega were taken care of and properly worshipped.

Their pharaoh, Lotor, was an Alpha. He ruled the capital with a tight yet gentle grip. He was beloved by the people of Egypt, and there was even a sphinx built next to the pyramids in his honour. Lotor was a good ruler to both the Alpha and Beta of Egypt, respecting both while also protecting and worshipping the Omega.

With Lotor, Egypt’s economy was thriving. Life couldn’t be better for any of them then it was right now. Of course, Lance is the exception. He just had to present as an Omega be taken from his family. His family, the very core of his being, and without them Lance didn’t know how he would fare. Sure they would all move to the capital with him, using the funds given to them, but he’d need to remain within the temple and wouldn’t be able to visit.

He didn’t like that one bit, and when he gets to the temple he’ll be sure to express his annoyance at this. He was a god so they’d listen to him, right?

Lance looked around as his cart passed the citizens of the capital, his mouth opening wide at his surroundings. There were many merchants running around, Pharaoh's warriors walking around and happily conversing with the people. Women walked around covered in silks, some carrying children on their backs as they traveled through the sand covered streets.

The buildings around him were beautiful and he could even see the majestic pyramids in the distance as well. Wow… The capital was a whole different story from the little village he came from. This was the playground of the big boys, not a village kid like himself. Will he really fit in here? Probably not, but then again, as an Omega, he was technically above them all. It was strange to think about it like that but it was true.

Curious eyes of the citizens turned to look at his cart as he passed, bowing as soon as they saw him. Lance couldn’t help but stare at them in surprise because, well, nobody ever bowed to him like that before. It felt awkward in a way. He lowered his upper body in return, attempting to bow back, receiving smiles in return. Okay, that must have been the right move to make. He thinks…

His cart was nearing the temple now, the magnificent structure ever growing in size the closer he got. Oh boy... This was his new home… This isn’t happening. It was all too surreal. Only when his cart stopped in front of the entrance did the reality of it hit him. His blue eyes looked up the stairs, spotting a majestic woman with white hair, looking down at him and… two other carts?

Lance blinked, turning to the left and then to the right. Were they Omega as well? Judging by the carts and the guards all around them, Lance concluded that they were. Wait, was this the other boy his guards mentioned? He’s here? Who’s the third person then?

With the help of his guards, Lance made his way out of the cart, feet stepping onto the sand below him. Egypt had two faces to it, day and night. The two were worlds apart, changing perspectives of things around them. Lance thinks that if they had arrived during the day, then the temple wouldn’t be as majestic. Fire torches were lit, burning brightly within the dark and illuminating the temple as the majestic structure it was. In a way, the structure seems intimidating.

“Are you two Omega?” He turned to one of his companions, a short girl with long brown hair and a frown on her face, her skin pale white, “I can’t believe there are two other Omega here apart from me. This is messed up.”

Huh? What kind of a greeting is that? “Who are you two?” He looked over at the other Omega, a boy with black hair, violet eyes and pale skin as well. This must be the Omega his guards were telling him about. He sniffed the air around him and yep, all three of them were Omega, including the woman standing at the top of the stairs. She held a staff by her side, depicting the head of Taweret on top.

The three of them watched as she took careful steps down towards them, a smile on her face as she took time to eye them all carefully, “Welcome. My name is Allura and I’ve come to welcome you three to our temple. It’s unusual that we have three Omega joining us on the same day but as they say, the more the merrier.”

“My trip took a month.” The raven haired boy spat, his pale face twisting. Lance couldn’t help but stare at him. He’d never actually seen anyone pale before. He’d heard of them, but never saw one before. It was strange, and the angry flush on his face stood out very much. How did the boy not burn in the sun during his supposed month of travel?

“Most unfortunate.” The woman, Allura, nodded sympathetically. She approached them, smiling reassuringly as she descended the steps, “I’m so sorry for the discomfort. We weren’t expecting to find an Omega so close to the sea.”

“I have to protest.” The short haired girl stepped forward, frowning at the woman, “I should return to Troy. My father and I are simply here for diplomacy, we weren’t expecting that I would present early.”

Lance and the other Omega boy both flinched sympathetically. That sounded rough, real rough. It was too bad this girl wasn’t going to get anywhere. Everyone knows that Omega go to the temple, no questions. They had to be protected, after all, and learn their duties as avatars of Taweret.

“The Gods themselves have decreed you present here.” The woman spoke kindly, voice full of pride, “The land of your birth is no question, you are welcomed to your new home.”

“No, see, I want to go back to Troy.” The girl protested, “My family can take care of me in our estate.”

Allura shook her head, “It is not our fate to decide.”

The pale boy snorted, crossing his arms, a sour look on his face, “Neither she nor I are from this country, let us go back to Greece.”

Lance winced sympathetically. These poor fools. It was too late for them. The one thing that Omega couldn’t do was leave the temple without protection. It was the duty of all Egyptians to ensure the safety of Omega, to love and adore them as the gifts they are. If they presented in these lands it was obvious the gods wanted them here.

“We simply could not.” Allura shook her head, “It’s very dangerous traveling. To send newly presented and unbonded Omega out without protection would be a slight against Tawerent.”

Neither of Lance’s new companions seemed very happy with her answer. They both scowled, sharing a look between them. The boy looked outright ready to bolt. He must have tried before, because his guards scooted together, ready to prevent any attempts to flee.

“I know this change must be shocking.” Allura stated soothingly, looking them all in the eye, “It was quite the shock when I first presented as well, but I promise you’ll grow to be very happy here. Please, tell me your names.”

“I’m Katherine of House Holt of Troy.” The girl scolded, puffing up her chest, “My father is Samuel Holt, diplomat of Troy to this Kingdom.”

Lance’s eyes widened. This girl, she was nobility, actual nobility. She was as far from a simple village boy as could get. The tanned boy looked down at his tunic, the frayed ends handed down over five generations, and stained from five days of travel.

At least the other boy looked equally poor. Though he was as pale and exotic looking as the girl, so there was no guarantee. He refused to speak though, huffing and looking away, glaring up at the temple resentfully.

“I’m Lance.” He winced, scratching the back of his head, “I’m from a fishing village on the Nile.”

Allura seemed to perk up at that, “Then I take it that you used to fish? We tend to go out to the Nile from time to time so I’m sure you’ll find that enjoyable.” Her curious eyes moved onto the two exotic Omega, “I’m not sure what your hobbies are but there are a lot of things you’ll be able to do within the temple. We have lyres, lutes, or drums if you’re interested in music. Then we also have horses that were given to us as gifts by the Pharaoh himself.”

Lance blinked, eyeing the two foreign Omega curiously. It didn’t seem like Allura’s persuasion tactics were going to work anytime soon, much less on the boy with black hair. He was outright staring at the temple with narrowed eyes now, as if he was challenging it to a match. Maybe he should stay clear of this guy…he looks like the troublemaker type.

Well, ignoring the two, Lance decided to ask the most important question here, “Will I be able to see my family again? I don’t think I’ll be able to live happily here unless I’m able to see them.”

“Of course. All of you will be able to meet with your loved ones. They won’t be able to be with you within the temple, but we have areas to accommodate you when you’re with them. If you’d like, you could be with them in those designated areas the whole day.”

“But you’ll still be preventing us from leaving the temple. Sounds more like imprisonment to me.” The girl grumbled, folding her arms and joining the other guy in staring at the temple. Okay… ehem…maybe Lance should stay clear of both of them.

“I won’t be satisfied unless I have Shiro or Adam with me.” The pale boy finally spoke, “Or my pet wolf Kosmo. He’s been with me since I was a baby, I can’t just leave him like this.” Kosmo? Did he name his wolf while looking at the stars? And wait...a wolf!? “I swear, if you take Kosmo away from me then-”

“You can bring your wolf with you to the temple of course.” Allura’s words took the boy by surprise, pausing with his finger raised in the air, ready to argue before he was cut short of doing so, “This is a place where all of us can live together in harmony and peace. The last thing I’d want to do is separate you from your families or take your pets away from you. Trust me, I’m on your side. After all, we’re all vessels of Taweret, and as such we’re all equal.”

“I still think this is all messed up.” The other girl just wouldn’t give in, “All I want is to go home.”

“I know that this is all sudden, and I know that it may seem unfair, but I sincerely do believe that you’ll like it here within our temple. We’ll teach you things you’ll need to know about yourselves, and you’ll befriend many Omega that’ll be able to relate to your struggles. You just presented and had your first heat but that’s only the beginning, as they say. There is much more to being Omega than heats or nests. We’re a lively bunch, and I’m sure that you’ll learn what I mean by that soon.”

Allura turned her attention to the frowning boy, “And I promise that we’ll get your wolf to you as soon as we can. Your families are in the process of moving to the capital as we speak. Some of them may have already settled depending on the length of the journey. You’ll be able to meet them as soon as tomorrow if you’d like. For now, however, let me show you to your rooms and prepare you for bathing.”

Bathing? After five days of travel? Mark him interested! “Are you religious? Because you’re the answer to all my prayers.” Lance winked at their guide, pointing at her in a friendly gesture.

His two companions didn’t seem to like it though, if their deepening frowns were anything to go by, “That was terrible.” The petite girl stuck out her tongue.

“Hey! That was one of my better ones!” He defended, leaning his hands against his hips, “I don’t know about you two but I’ve been travelling for five days in the scorching heat of the desert. A bath sounds _heavenly_ right about now.”

“Not for me.” The girl huffed, “I’m from the capital so I didn’t have to travel at all.”

“What!? That’s just unfair.” They should have more temples scattered around Egypt because Lance was absolutely sure that travelling like that wasn’t good for his skin. At least he didn’t travel for a month like the grumpy guy.

Ouch… And Lance could already see the guy’s sweat from where he stood. He wasn’t that dirty, which meant that he must have taken baths during his travel but damn, this guy needed a bath pront-Wait… Was that long hair? Lance focused on the gathered hair behind his neck and to his terror, saw that indeed it was long enough to reach his shoulders. Gods… how did this guy have long hair in this scorching heat? The most sensible thing he could have done was cut it off or even tied it up into a ponytail.

If Lance had his way, he’d shave the guy’s head entire-”What?” He flinched when the guy asked, glaring at him now, “Is there something on my face?”

“N-Nothing!” Lance flinched, looking away, “I just can’t believe you'd wear long hair in this scorching heat. Are you asking for a heatstroke?”

The guy raised a brow at that, his left hand touching his wet sweaty hair, “I like my hair the way it is. You should be minding your own and not looking at mine.” He scoffed, meeting Lance’s gaze with a challenging look. The brunette returned it, folding his arms.

“Whatever. Just know that you’ve made a terrible hairstyle choice.”

“Like you can talk. The way your hair looks it makes me think that you cut it with a knife.”

“Hah! How dare you! My sister styled it!”

“Oh god…” The pale girl next to him sighed, outright judging the two by her stare alone, “If this is what the rest of the Omega inside are like then I want out of here.”

“Out? But you haven’t even entered.” Allura tapped her staff against the ground, turning so that her back was facing the three of them, “Why don’t we go inside now? It’s getting cold and I know that you’d rather be in warm blankets than stay out here. Come, follow me.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Not until Shiro or Adam are here.” The guy without a name protested again, unimpressed by the whole thing.

“I promise that they’ll be granted access as soon as they come to visit you, but for now, we need to get you settled into the temple.” Allura tried, “After the bath, we’ll give you as many blankets as you need to make a nest if you so wish.” And at the mention of the nest Allura had him. Lance could see the clear twitch in his eyes that proved the internal defeat he was faced with.

“I think it would be better for us to comply for now. It’ll be better than sleeping out in the sand.” The girl, aligning with her fellow pale skinned fellow noted. At least she seemed to have more common sense than him. Then again, it wasn’t like anyone was going to let two Omega sleep on sand. The guards would rather throw themselves into the Nile than disrespect them like that.

“Okay.” And as Lance guessed, the boy succumbed, “A nest sounds good.”

“Wonderful!” Allura beamed, taking steps up the stone staircase with the three newcomers following right behind her. The night was dark tonight but the flames that were lit were shining onto them brightly, providing all the light they needed, “This takes me back to the time I presented. I was stubborn back then and when I was taken to the temple, I thought that I’d suddenly been cut off from the rest of the world. I even managed to escape five times before deciding that I wanted to stay here in the temple.”

“Really? You tried to escape?” Lance asked in surprise, eyes drifting to the mullet boy to notice the smirk on his face. It was obvious what he was planning to do, but Lance hopes that he’ll fail miserably at it. If anything to wipe the smirk off his face.

“I did, but in the end I decided that it wasn’t worth it. Being here in the temple is much more than what it seems to be. As Omega we have our own duties to attend to, even if sometimes they may not seem like duties at all. Besides, I get to see my father and mother every day so it wasn’t like anything changed for me. Of course some things _did_ change, but I’ve grown used to it. You’ll understand as soon as you get to experience it.”

“I didn’t understand a thing you said about duties but I’ll let it go in favour of getting to the baths quicker.” The girl frowned, following the rest of the group as they made their way past the entrance. Lance couldn’t help but let his jaw drop wide open as soon as he saw the inside. It was as if he’d found himself in one of the estates of the rich, decorated with statues, pillars and hieroglyphs all around. There was also a fountain to their left side, portraying Taweret in all her glory.

The place was huge and overwhelming on the poor village boy that was Lance. Wow… just wow… Out of the corner of his eyes though, Lance noticed another person leaning against one of the pillars, looking at them with wide eyes and a surprised expression. He had short brown hair, brown eyes and…pale skin? Was this guy Greek too?

“Oh! James!” Allura turned as he approached, “Taking a stroll before dinner?”

“Something like that.” James’ eyes surveyed the three newbies before landing on the pale boy, staying on him longer than on both Lance and the Katherine girl, “I take it that you recently presented. Judging by your appearance, I can see that you’re not from these lands either.” He offered his hand to the grumpy boy, taking him by surprise, “I’m James. If there’s anything you need, let me know. I can even take you on a tour tomorrow if you’d like.”

“Romelle is privy to giving one, but if you talk to her she might be willing enough to let you handle that.” Allura reminded gently, earning a huff from James.

“I’ll have to talk to her later then. I’d really like to give you one, you know, show you everything we have to offer and all.” Huh… If his eyes weren’t deceiving him then Lance would think that this guy was being bashful. Weird.

“Thanks...” Mr. Grumpy replied, returning his hand to his side. He looked over his two fellow new Omega, looking just as confused as Lance felt.

“Think nothing of it.” James replied, looking over the group, “Welcome to the temple, we hope you’ll enjoy it here.”

“How kind of you to greet our new companions James.” Allura smiled at him, tapping her staff against the stone floor, “It’s always good to see our fellows take the extra step to help those who are newly presented.”

“Yes.” James nodded, eyes flickering over Allura for a moment, “I remember how hard it was to adjust to being here.” He turned to look the pale boy in the eyes, “If you need any help I’m here for you.”

The guy didn’t stay after that, walking away, throwing one last look towards them before he did. They watched him go, his pale form disappearing around the corner. The violet eyed boy raised a brow, turning to stare at his two companions with raised brows. Katherine shared the same expression, looking equally confused.

“It’s good to see James taking initiative.” Allura smiled at them, and she looked so genuinely happy, “He came here a few months ago and has been having a hard time adjusting. Many of us do at first.”

“I can imagine.” Katherine’s eyes narrowed, “Especially for foreigners.”

“Yes.” Allura nodded. She turned, gesturing for them to follow. They started their walking again, making their way down the beautifully carved stone floors. Allura continued to speak as they made their way past large columns, “I do realize there will be an adjustment period for you all, but I hope that a bath and nest will ease your frayed nerves. Especially the two of you that were forced to travel.”

The pale boy’ nose wrinkled. He rolled his shoulders, popping his neck, “Thank Zeus, I haven’t had a proper wash in a damn month.”

“Gross.” Katherine wrinkled her nose.

Lance couldn’t help but agree with her.

“I’m poor and the guards wanted to get me here fast. Only washings I got was a quick dump in the river sometimes.” The raven haired boy swiped his forehead, “And it’s the desert, apparently we can’t afford to waste the water.”

“Yes, water is a commodity in the desert lands.” Allura said this just as they turned a corner and entered a huge open chamber. There were giant pools in the floors, several finely dressed people tending to fires beneath them, warming the water. The wall was open, the doors opened to reveal the night air, a gentle breeze leaking through. The air just _felt_ warm here, the rising steam from the baths tingling against Lance’s abused skin. His two pale companions were going a bit pink from the contact.

The air in here also smelt heavy, sweet with the scent of Omega and perfume.

“These are our baths.” Allura states, walking them past several of the pools towards the wall where several shelves hung, many small pots and jars lining the stone. Allura picked one up, lifting the lid to sniff at it before smiling and holding it out for the pale boy to take, “Here you are child, this one will compliment your scent.”

“It’s Keith.” The boy gives a withering glare, foreign name gruffly admitted as he took the jar from her, turning it over in his hands, “What is this?”

“We make our own cleansers here with the supplies given to us by the people.” Allura nodded, testing a few more jars as she did. “One of your duties as an Omega is to remain clean and pure for the eyes. You’ll learn how to make your own while here.”

“Sweet.” Lance liked the sound of that, eagerly waiting for a jar as Allura passed one to Katherine and then gave him one as well. He sniffed at the lid, allured by the scent within. It smelt similar to his own natural scent but it was sweeter. “Do these strengthen our own scents?”

“They do, but you don’t need to worry. You’ll be among your fellow Omega here so you won’t have to worry about Alpha or Beta sniffing you. Of course you’ll be wearing them when you meet your suitors, but you’re not ready for that just yet. Let’s prepare you for a bath first.”

“Uhhh… I know we’re all Omega here but I’m a female Omega if you can’t tell.” Katherine raised her hands up, “I don’t know how comfortable I feel sharing a bath with these two dorks.”

Oh...right. They’ll be sharing a bath. Lance remembered, sparing a look at Keith and hoping that his fellow Omega wouldn’t be awkward about it. What if he was the shy type? Nah, who cares. As long as he gets his well deserved bath, he’ll be more than content with anything.

“Of course. We have separate baths for female Omegas.” Allura assured, pointing to the side with her staff, “There’s another pool just behind this wall. You’ll be able to have your privacy but still converse with your fellow Omega if you’d like.”

“Great.” For the first time since she came here, Katherine smiled, “You can call me Pidge by the way. Katherine is way too long of a name. Right now, anyone who offers me a bath is considered a friend.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Their guide smiled, “I can’t join you since I’ve already bathed but after you’re done, we’ll give you some nice sparkly clothing to dress into.” Allura brought her hands together, folding them excitedly against her chest, “I’ll make sure to gather the best robes for you. We have the softest of silks you’ll find in the whole of Egypt.”

“I like the sound of that.” Lance was still reluctant about the whole thing but what kind of an Omega would refuse soft silk? None, “Thanks Allura. You’re a lifesaver.”

“It’s no trouble.” She waved her hand, “I’ll go find you the softest silk we have, and in the meantime, you can bathe yourselves. We have helpers tending to the pools so if you need any help, don’t be afraid to ask.”

“We will. Thanks.” Keith sniffed at his jar before letting it rest on a stone chair nearby. Lance watched him curiously while Allura led Pidge away just around the corner so that she could have her own private pool. There were others preparing the pool for them, and judging by their scents, they were Omega as well. Good, he could let himself relax fully.

Lance began taking off his clothes, and just as he did a fellow Omega appeared beside him, offering to take his clothes so that they could clean them. He wanted to keep his clothes but they were dirty, so he ended up surrendering them to the unknown Omega with a promise that he’d get them back.

He stretched his tired body as he entered the water, seating himself down on the stone floor and leaning against the stairs behind him. Ahh… It felt heavenly. The water was just the right temperature as well, and the sweet scent all around him helped him relax even more. He could even see a few stars as he looked out over the opened wall, beautiful lights of the capital shining brightly in the distance.

He still couldn’t believe he was here. This must be a dream, a-Lance choked as soon as he spotted another nude figure beside him, and being as lucky as he was, he had the perfect angle of Keith’s privates before the fellow Omega lowered himself so that he was sitting in the water alongside him.

Holy! “Oh my god! Don’t you have any sense of shame!?” He definitely did not want to see what he just saw, especially since it was a guy he’d only just met.

“What?” Keith asked, confused, huffing as he lowered himself further into the water so that he could wet his hair, “The water is amazing.”

“It is-Wait! No. We gotta create distance between us.” Lance pushed himself further away until the distance was comfortable enough for him, “Geez… Have some decency you brute.”

“Whatever.” But Keith was set on ignoring him, deciding to relish the feeling of the water around him instead.

“Hey! You know I can hear you, right?” Pidge’s voice sounded from behind the wall, letting them know she was there, “This place is amazing! I can’t believe I have the whole bath to myself.”

“And the smell is relaxing as well.” Keith noted, “It makes me want to sleep.”

“I think that’s the intended effect.” Lance looked around at other Omega that were tending to the pool around them, most probably their caretakers while they bathed, “I could stay here for the rest of the night.”

Keith hummed beside him in an agreement, but just as they’d began to settle, two of the other Omega approached them, slowly kneeling beside the pool while facing them, “Will you allow me to help you wash?” They asked while Lance turned his head to the side, spotting the jar they were holding in their hands. Judging by the smell alone it must have been soap, soap that smelled heavenly.

“Sure.” He agreed, and while usually he wouldn’t do that, this time he wanted nothing more than to let himself relax while others pampered him.

He leaned back, letting the other Omega open the jar and collect a sizeable amount of the cleaner in their hands. He practically melted into the water when they rubbed their hands through his hair and round his shoulders.

“No.” He heard Keith pull away from the Omega that approached him, the water splashing as he swam away, “I can wash myself.”

Lance snorted, “Let them wash your hair. It’s actually really relaxing.”

“I’m not comfortable with contact.” He heard the boy’s excuse, then Pidge’s protest from behind the wall as well. Huh, it must be just him then. Whatever, if they weren’t comfortable being pampered then that was their business.

He was content to let the other Omegas pamper him, his body and sore muscles practically melting in the water. The smell of the cleanser was very sweet and striking, The pool’s temperature never faded away either, thanks to the people attending the baths. Overall, this was the best thing to happen to him since leaving home.

Lance almost dreaded it when it was time to get out. But the attending Omegas brought him some fluffy material to dry his body with. It wasn’t even very cold despite the breeze, the warmth in the air too thick. It was perfect, overlooking the bright stars in the night sky.

“We brought you some clothes.” One of the Omegas approached, carrying a bundle of silky clothing. Keith let out a relieved sigh beside him, huddling underneath the fluffy blankets as he approached the clothing held out for him. The Omega attendant hummed, picking a long, red, silky piece of cloth with golden thread, “Your pale skin will look quite striking in this.”

“Thanks.” Keith flushed, looking away as he took the clothing.

“Blue will compliment your figure quite well.” The same Omega turned to face Lance, pulling out a similar cloth, only deep blue in color. Lance marveled at it, he’d only ever worn old faded greys before, cotton if he was lucky. This one cloth was worth more than anything he owned at home. He took it carefully, studying it, “I can really wear this?”

“Of course.” The attendant nodded, “This is the least of what you’ll be wearing from now on.”

They turned away from him before he could respond, moving to Pidge’s side of the baths. Lance could only stare at them as they left, holding the silk between his hands. He turned to face Keith, who had donned the red silk and was trying to figure out the golden fastenings and ties now, brows knitted as he tried to tie everything together properly.

“Can you believe this?” Lance asked, because reality was starting to sink in now and he couldn’t quite believe it, “We’re wearing _silk._ ”

“This is definitely a little overwhelming.” The newly presented Omega nodded as he finally tied the threads around his waist together, looking up to stare at Lance, “Pidge is probably having a bit of an easier time, coming from wealth, but I’m certainly not used to this.”

Lance huffed, feeling a bit better knowing that at least this guy came from the same place he had, a bit anyway. They were in similar positions at the very least, and they’d have to learn to adjust. He wouldn’t admit it to the other boy, who was a grump, but he was glad that he wasn’t alone in this.

“I know it must be strange to be here too.” Lance tries to smile, slipping on his own clothes, “Being a Greek and all.”

Keith shrugged, “I worked on a merchant ship with my brother and his lover. I’ve been between both enough times to be comfortable. It’s Pidge I’m worried about.”

“Huh, that explains why you know the language so well.” Lance grins as he ties together his own clothes, more used to the style than Keith, “I’m sure Pidge will get used to it. They _do_ finance our families to move to the capital and start up a business.”

“Yeah, but her family is nobility all the way in Troy.” Keith clicked his tongue, “That’s months of travel, and she has an estate and such. It’s likely they won’t be able to move at all. The best she can hope for are visits every few months.”

“Ouch.” Lance winces and makes a mental note to be extra nice to the girl. He can’t imagine being stuck in a similar position, especially since it was clear she’d presented a bit early. It was clearly a string of divine bad luck and he could understand her grumpiness now. He scratched the back of his head, “What about you?”

“My brother made it clear he was going to follow me to the capital.” Keith folded his arms, “But it’ll probably take a while for him to get here. He’s got to collect everything he owns, Kosmo, Adam, and get from one side of the country to here. It took me a whole month to get here on cart, it might take him longer with all our supplies and all the stops he’ll make. He’s probably on his way though.”

“My family shouldn’t take _too_ long.” Lance admits, scratching the back of his head, “They have to gather things too, but they’re only a few days travel down the river. They can take a boat.”

“Lucky fucker.” Keith’s lips twitched.

“I was in the capital.” Pidge’s voice cut in. They turned to face the girl as she approached. Gone was her Greek styled clothing in favor of the Egyptian style, green and gold threaded. Her pale skin looked alive beneath it. She huffed, crossing her arms, “My Heat hit while I was studying scrolls with the scholars. My father was thrown into a panic. The day after I came out of Heat here I am.”

“Ouch.” Lance and Keith both winced.

“My father will get me out.” Pidge stated, nodding in determination. Lance almost didn’t have the heart to tell her that, as far as the people of Egypt were concerned, she was a child of the gods and her father had no rights outside of her love for him anymore by law.

Keith seemed to have a better idea and shared a look with Lance, both silently agreeing to break the news to her _after_ they were settled into new rooms, “Either way we should settle for the night. I don’t know about you two, but I’ve been sleeping in the back of a cart for a month straight and I wouldn’t mind learning how to make a proper nest.”

“That sounds like a plan.” Lance agreed to that, stretching his sore arms up into the air, “I never made a nest before but I’d be willing to learn.”

“That’s relieving to hear!” Allura’s voice sounded, startling them all and making them look to the side where she was. There was a wide smile on her face as she approached, long white hair majestically swaying behind her as she walked. Lance and the rest of them could tell that Allura was a person of high standing, at least from everyone they’d met so far. She was kind, gracious, and yet also had an air of leadership to her. The aura around her made Lance feel like he could trust her, which he was doing right now with the bathing.

“Did you enjoy your bath?” She asked, eyeing them all approvingly, “Those robes look wonderful on you. The colours match you as well, not to mention the sparkly golden finish they have to them.”

“Y-Yeah.” Lance agreed, “Then again, I’d look stunning in anything.”

Both Keith and Pidge rolled their eyes, judging him hard with their stares alone, “Show off.” Keith grumbled while Allura turned, gently tapping her staff against the ground.

“You must be tired from all that travel. We are preparing dinner for all the Omega within the temple but if you’d like you could skip it. You’ll have a chance to meet everyone in the morning when you’re ready and rested.”

“That sounds like a much better idea.” Keith preferred that, “After a month of sleeping in a cart, I could use a soft mattress.”

“I second that.” Pidge agreed, walking in between her two companions so that she could sneak her hands between theirs, “I may not have travelled like these two but that doesn’t mean that I don’t crave a nice soft bed.”

“I imagine that since you all recently presented that you’d be seeking a nest as well. No need to worry, I’m here to fulfill all of your needs.” Allura took steps away from the pools, “Follow me, I’ll show you to your bedrooms.”

“I don’t know about you guys, but so far I’m loving it here.” Lance leaned his hands back against his head as they all followed Allura, surrounded by beautiful stones and decorations all around. Wow… What was there not to like? Everything was so beautiful and otherworldly that Lance still couldn’t believe he was here. The only thing that was missing was his family, and unfortunately that was a big part of his life he couldn’t go without.

“You let other people wash you.” Keith gently reminded, “I’d say that you’re letting your guard down way too soon.”

“Letting my guard down? You expect me to bathe without soap? Not in my book.” He touched his now dry hair, surprised by the softness of it, “Wow… My hair has never been this soft.”

“That’s thanks to the herbs we use.” Allura supplied, “They’re meant to soften the skin and provide all the nutrients it needs to remain healthy. Did you two enjoy your bath as well?” The wise Omega asked, earning nods from the two grumpier newbies.

“I refused any help but I’ll admit that the soap was great, especially the smell.” Pidge admitted, Keith following soon behind her, “It made my skin softer.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Omega naturally have softer skin compared to Alpha or Beta, but that’s just a part of our biology. I’ll make sure that this is all included in your lessons. You have a lot to learn.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.” Pidge huffed, “But first I need some sleep.”

“Of course.” Allura continued leading them through the temple, passing many rooms on their way to the sleeping chambers. They noticed a couple more Omega pass them, all dressed in fine clothing, their skin almost shining under the moonlight.

If Lance was going to be honest, he’d say that he never saw more attractive looking people than here in the temple. All of the Omega reeked of sweetness but there was also this softness to them that made them beautiful as well. It was a different kind of beauty from Alpha and Beta, and it may be because he’d never seen so many Omega in one place but wow… Lance wouldn’t stop himself from outright staring at the people around him. He almost felt out of place with how stunning everyone looked.

He’d never admit this of course, but it was a thought to think about. There’s no way he’d be able to fit in with all these perfect Omega, there was just no way.

Looking at his two companions, Lance could tell that Keith and Pidge were both taken aback as well. From the moment they saw all of these Omega around, they knew right away that they were doomed. Oh god… It hasn’t even been a day and they already feel intimidated by the whole thing. At least they had a bath though.

“Here we are. These are our sleeping chambers.” They’d finally made it into a brightly lit hall, decorated with more pillars and a huge fountain of Taweret in the center. The hall was a circular shape, surrounded by doors on all sides. Lance guessed that they all led to separate bedrooms.

“Wow… This is-” Lance paused when he spotted Keith walking up to the fountain, both he, Pidge and Allura watching as the other went to stand before the decoration, “Uhhh… Keith? Buddy?”

“This is beautiful.” The boy spoke, as if in a daze, “This is a true work of art.”

“Taweret is a beautiful goddess.” Allura agreed, “We pay her tribute wherever we can.”

“I love it.” Keith approved, and when he turned to look at them again, his eyes were almost sparkling in delight, “I’d like to have a look at more of these statues if I can.”

“Of course. Depending on who gives you the tour, I’ll tell them to show you all of Taweret’s statues. I’m sure you’ll take a liking to them.”

“Thanks.” Keith smiled softly, turning to look at the fountain again before they’d be separated and went into their own bedrooms. Was Keith a big worshipper of Taweret? Lance wasn’t sure but he’ll make a note to ask the boy about it tomorrow.

“So which ones are our bedrooms?” Pidge eyed all of the doors, unsure which one of them was her own, or which ones were occupied or not.

“Follow me.” Allura smiled, waiting for Keith to separate from the statue and rejoin them. He seemed reluctant to leave the fountain. It was almost a shame to drag him away from it, in Lance’s humble opinion, because this was the happiest he’d seen Keith since they’d gotten to the temple. It was good to know that Keith had something he liked about the temple though, maybe they could ease him into life here after all.

From the look on her face Allura was hopeful as well, “Don’t worry Keith, I’ll be sure that you’re allowed to see all the tributes to Taweret tomorrow during the tour, including the hippotatomus pond.”

“There are _more_ of those things?” Keith’s eyes widened.

Apparently Keith had never seen a hippotatomus before. Well, that was one thing they had to look forward to. Someone should probably make sure Keith knew they were dangerous though, Lance knew a girl who’d lost her uncle to one before.

“Yes.” Allura nodded, smiling, “I’ll make sure you can see them tomorrow, for now let me show you to your new rooms.”

She turned and lead them down the rounded corridor. They passed a lot of rooms, nearly rounding the whole building before they found some stairs and started moving upwards. Once they reached the second floor they stopped, Allura leading them around again until she finally held her hand up and stopped them.

“These will be your new rooms.” Allura spoke, waving her hands to the next three doors, “Because you’re new you’ll be on the lower floors for now. Once you’ve taken lessons and learned to contribute to the temple, and Omega who have been here longer are bonded, then you’ll move up to nicer rooms with balconies.”

Allura waved them over to one room, opening the first of the doors she’d indicated, opening it to reveal a small but comfortable looking room that was nicer than any inn or bedroom Lance had personally ever seen. Keith, too, marveled at the room, violet eyes going wide.

It was simple, with stone walls, but there was carpet. Honest carpet that looked finely woven. There were large pillows and blankets all gathered, spread on the floors like the finest bedding, curtains hung from the roof that could pull around for privacy. The only piece of furniture was a vanity of sorts, tucked right next to an opened window with a small rail.

Lance and Keith both gapped at the room, and Pidge made a small noise of approval.

“I know it isn’t much…” Allura trailed off, looking at them, “But after you’ve begun your lessons and started integrating into life at the temple we’ll move you up the floors where you’ll have larger rooms that have more room to store personal items and gifts from suitors.”

“Wait, they get _nicer_.” Lance blinked, floored.

“I haven’t been in a room this nice in a long time.” Keith stared at the bedding of pillows and blankets, blinking his violet eyes.

“Yes, they become nicer the higher up you move.” Allura spoke, “You’ll have room for personal cleaners and creams, and displays for all your courting gifts.”

Allura moved, approaching Keith, “You can take this room Keith. James, the Omega you met earlier, is in the room next to yours if you need anything.”

Allura turned to face Lance and Pidge now, “Lance, you take the next room, and Pidge you may take the room after that. If any new Omega show up soon then they’ll be in the room after that.”

So it was oldest to newest on this level then. That seemed fine. It was good to know they were on the same level as other relatively new Omega too. Maybe the other newbies could help them try and fit in.

Keith shifted, looking up, “So...is there anything we need to know right now? Like, a curfew or…?”

“No, no curfew.” Allura shook her head, smiling kindly, “I can teach you how to make a nest properly, but everything else you’ll need to know about your biology and the temple will be covered when you begin your lessons.”

“You keep mentioning lessons.” Pidge spoke up, looking Allura in the eye, “What sort of lessons?”

“Oh, of course.” Allura twists her staff in her hands, “We’ll begin with basic rules for the temple. Then we’ll learn about your biology, from detoxing to Heat, and then we’ll move to etiquette from there. Along with prayer services and scholarly pursuits for those who haven’t had experience with nobility.” Allura spares a glance at Lance and Keith, “We also have musical lessons for those interested, lessons in art, riding, how to run an estate. Everything you’ll need to know for bonding. We even personalize lessons based on your suitors.”

“And you said something about swimming earlier. Do you go out to the Nile to swim?” Lance asked curiously, earning a nod from Allura.

“Yes, we go there from time to time. You could join us if you’d like, but we also have a pool within the temple, both outside and inside in which you’re able to swim.” And that earned her a huge approving smile from Lance.

“Did I say I already like it here? Because I already like it here.” He folded his arms, now excited to explore what the rest of the temple had to offer, “And I’d be interested in the lute as well. I played it for my family back home whenever we would gather in our living room to pray to the gods.”

“Of course. I’ll tell your guide to show you all of those as well.” Allura turned to the other two, curiously waiting for to hear what they have to say.

“I might take you up on the art.” Keith scratched his elbow nervously, “I’m privy to drawing landscapes and portraits but I’d love to draw the temple since I’m already here.”

“Oh! Romelle is also an artist. I’ll arrange for her to show you all of the supplies she has. She’s already drawn quite a few art pieces based on our surroundings so I’m sure she’ll be excited to show you those as well.” Allura’s smile widened. Her blue eyes moved onto Pidge next, earning nothing but a shrug in return.

“I’m not into any of those things. Back in Troy we have this science called mathematics that I’m interested in. All you need to do is give me some privacy so that I could indulge myself in numbers.” She wasn’t much of a social type, instead she liked to see herself as an innovator. There are so many things that they have the potential of discovering, and Pidge wanted to push their knowledge of the world further into greater depths. That was both her passion and her drive.

“That’s interesting. I’d be curious to see your works with our own form of mathematics Pidge. If you decide to study within the garden outside the lessons, then I may join you in your quest for knowledge, if you allow me to of course.”

“Sure.” The girl rolled her arms, not minding if Allura decides to join her or not.

“Perfect.” The wise Omega let her staff rest against the wall before approaching the bed, the three of them carefully watching Allura as she moved the blankets, “Is it alright if I demonstrate this using your bed Keith? I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“That’s fine. Go ahead.” Keith gave her the clear, and only then did Allura feel free to continue.

“Making a nest isn’t as complicated as it may seem. The trick here is that every Omega has their own preferences, which means that if one Omega likes to make their nest a certain way, it doesn’t mean that the other will feel comfortable within it. I’m not sure what your preferences are Keith, but I’ll make the most basic nest and then you can dismantle it if you want to.”

“Okay.” The ravenette nodded, folding his arms as they watched Allura move the blankets and sheets around.

“You need to start with a solid base so that the nest will hold up and won’t end up falling on you. It’s also important that you secure the sides if you want your nest to remain warm. However, if you want to leave some holes within it, then you may do that as well. It all depends on your preference. For my demonstration, I’ll make the nest warmer.” She moved, and the three watched sharply so that they would be able to replicate this later on when they get into their rooms.

Making a nest seemed easy, it must be as Allura finished just like that without batting an eye. And there it stood, a proper Omega’s nest right in front of them. Lance scratched the side of his cheek, humming as he eyes the nest closely, “This is much easier than I thought. I’ll make one in under a minute.”

“It may look easy but I bet it’s harder than Allura makes it look to be.” Pidge, the realist, had to be the one to destroy his optimism.

“ _Pfft!_ I’ll make this no problemo! Just you wait and see! I bet I’ll be able to make one that’s even better than this.” He puffed up his chest proudly, itching to prove her wrong.

“I don’t care even if you make a castle Lance.” Keith rolled his eyes, taking a step closer to the bed, “If it’s okay, I’d really like to lay down in my new bed now. I’ve been travelling for a _month_ if you remember.”

“Right.” Allura took a step back, “Would you like me to dismantle it for you?”

“Nah.” He shook his head, “The nest seems nice. If you don’t mind, I’d like to use it.”

“Of course. If it makes you comfortable then I’d be honoured.” Allura stepped away, the three of them watching as Keith began entering his new nest. Before he would completely enter it though, he paused, staring at them.

“Uhh,,,”

“We’ll let you rest for the night. I’ll tell Romelle to come and make sure all of you find your way to breakfast once you wake up.” Allura ushered the remaining newbies out of the room, “Goodnight.”

“Night.”

And as Keith settled, Lance and Pidge made their way into their own rooms. Lance went over to the bedroom next to Keith’s, which was a complete mirror of Keith’s own room. Not that he was complaining though, this room was better than anything else he’d slept in his entire life. Then again, his dad worked hard on maintaining a roof over their heads and Lance was more than thankful for that.

He made his way over to the bed, letting himself drop down on it tiredly. He let out an involuntary purr as soon as his body came into contact with the softness of those blankets and sheets, his inner Omega more than satisfied with the what was provided, “I love this.”

“I’m glad. Will you be able to make a nest of your own? Do you need my assistance?” Allura asked and Lance found himself with the inner debate of whether or not he should have Allura help him build a nest. His inner Omega wanted it but he also didn’t want to get up from this softness he found.

“Yeah. Could you?” He succumbed, earning a smile from the wise Omega.

“Of course.” Allura moved to help him, managing to make a nest that was similar to the one she’d built for Keith. Luckily they were already cleaned before coming here, otherwise Lance would have demanded facial creams and a brush for his teeth. Thankfully all of those chores were already done and all that was left him him now was to indulge in this sweet, sweet softness that awaited him.

He found himself climbing into the nest as soon as Allura was done, letting out more sets of purrs while he rubbed his head against the soft pillows. He abruptly stopped himself though when he realised that Allura was still in his room.

She chuckled, holding her hand up to her lips, “My apologies. I’ll go and make sure Pidge is settled as well before joining others for dinner. Goodnight Lance.”

“Night Allura, and thanks for welcoming us.”

“It’s no trouble.” Her smile widened at that, “Tomorrow will be a busy day. You should rest so you’re prepared for it.” She reminded gently, slowly closing the door behind her, leaving him in the quietness of his new reality.

It felt strange now that he was all alone, in a room so beautiful and yet completely foreign to him. The blankets and sheets were soft, sure, but it still lacked the smell of his family, the scents he’d grown so accustomed to. It almost felt empty for a second, the moon and the stars being his only companions as he lay in an unfairly soft bed.

It had the power to lull him to sleep, relax his tired muscles and force them to succumb to their tired state. His eyes felt heavy, and he was barely able to keep them open just enough to peek out of his nest, looking out at the night sky before closing them completely. He let sleep take over, surrendering to the demands of his tired body and finally giving it sleep it so desperately wanted.

* * *

Keith was woken from a deep sleep by sweet smells he couldn’t recognise. He sniffed the air while his eyes were still closed, the sweet, sweet aroma entering his nostrils to lull him further into sleep.

His body felt like a giant stone peasants used to make pyramids with, unable to move and yet he could still feel each of his fingers, resting peacefully against the cleanest of sheets he’d ever laid upon. Everything was so soft and sweet, so much that he didn’t think he’d be getting up for the day.

That is, however, until yesterday’s events came back to him and he remembered that he wasn’t back in his house with Shiro, Adam, or Kosmo sleeping peacefully beside him, and nor was he somewhere in the desert, on an uncomfortable cart in unbearable scorching heat. No, he was in the temple of the Omega, the structure said to house the gods themselves.

And it was that very notion that encouraged Keith to open his eyes, looking around his surroundings to recognise that he was in the room Allura and the rest left him in before going to sleep. Right, they’d arrived yesterday night and only managed to take a bath before going to bed. They have yet to discover what the temple really has to offer, and that’s exactly what they’ll be doing today.

He forced himself to sit up, tired body protesting, wanting more of the softness his new nest had to offer. His travels had been harder on him than expected, as unexpected as it was uncomfortable. He almost regretted having to leave, but he needed to face this.

The raven haired boy crawled out of the nest, standing on wobbling legs and studying his new room. Sunlight shone through the opened window arch, early morning light streaming through and shining gently against the stone of his room. He blinked, moving over to lean against the windowsill. The city was large, and he could see everything from here.

He’d never been so far inland, always having spent his life near the shores. This was his first time being in a capital for sure, or anywhere near a palace. It was strange, very strange. He could see street merchants and markets from his room, something he couldn’t have dreamed of before.

He’d sure come a long way from being the son of an exotic brothel whore.

Violet eyes flickered over the market, the merchants only just setting up for the day, a few early morning risers already filtering into the street. In the distance he could see the river shore, farmers working hard in the muddy fields.

Keith huffed, slumping against the window and wondering just what he was supposed to do now. Was he allowed to leave his room? Go wherever he wanted? Or was he supposed to wait for someone to come and get him, being new to the temple and all.

The pale boy frowned. Screw it, he wasn’t going to just sit here and wait. They dragged him from his home and out here, into this city and strange land, they weren't going to keep him locked up in this damn room too.

Keith nodded, determination filling his soul. He turned on his heel, marching straight out the door, leaving his room behind.

In the massive circular hall he was faced with another problem. He didn’t know where to go from here. He frowned, looking around the hall, hoping inspiration would come. Violet eyes flickered over the two doors to the right of his own, and he wondered if either Lance or Pidge were up. He couldn't say they were friends or anything, but he at least knew them.

After a solid minute or so of staring at the doors, hoping one of the two newly presented Omega would peek out, Keith gave up on that, deciding to move on and try to find something to do himself.

He perked up, an idea coming to mind. The raven haired boy moved, heading for the stairs and hastily moving down, quickly circling the floor beneath until he re-found the statue from last night. He stopped, staring at what could only be described as art in its purest form. He didn’t know as much about the gods of this land as he should, but he was more than willing to learn if this statue represented one of their goddesses. What was her name again? Taweret? Beautiful. He’d have to find more of this hippo-something.

Keith kneeled down, settling himself on the edge of the fountain, studying the statue. She was massive, with lion paws and the tail of one of those crocodiles he’d seen in the rivers before. But the rest of her was a plump animal he’d never seen before, this hippo-something Allura mentioned. And she was dressed in flowy robes around her obviously pregnant belly. It’s an oddly comforting sight. He’s not surprised he finds comfort in it, he grew up around pregnant women in the brothel, the babes often sharing a room with him and Shiro before they left.

He stared at the statue, wondering what she was supposed to represent. Obviously fertility and Omegas, but he wondered what else. He knew he was expected to worship her, but that was it. Allura would probably cover it in her lessons.

Pale fingers reached towards his chest, clutching at the material covering him. He felt a pang of loneliness, the air next to him feeling empty without his constant companions. He missed Shiro, and Adam, and ever faithful Kosmo. He missed them so much that their absence felt like a phantom pain next to him.

He sniffed, fighting back tears. He growled, angrily swiping at his eyes to hide from his own weakness. He should have known. Shiro had been worried he’d present as Omega, it’d been a fear of his for years. Now it was true, despite Keith’s constant denials and promises that he’d present as Alpha or Beta.

Now look where he was. Who knew when he could see his brother again.

He wishes the guards at least let Kosmo come. The raven haired boy could still hear his poor companion’s whimpers when they dragged him away, leaving the poor animal behind with his protesting brother and Adam.

Gods, he missed them.

He swiped another tear away, determined not to let anyone see him like this, turning back to focus on the statue of Taweret and take in the sight of the comforting goddess.

“Are you alright?” Keith flinched when he heard a voice near him, jumping up to face the intruder. His eyes quickly landed on the familiar boy from yesterday, the one they’d met just as they entered the temple. What was his name again? James? “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t want to intrude but you seemed…a bit lonely, so I was wondering if you were okay.”

Keith let himself relax, his shoulders slumping as he sat back down on the edge of the fountain, “I’m fine. Thanks for asking, I guess.” He wasn’t good with people. He was an anti-social type you could say, but since the guy seemed concerned for his wellbeing Keith decided to indulge him, “You’re James, right?”

“That’s me.” The fellow Omega nodded, slowly approaching him, “Huh, you actually remembered my name. I’m really glad you did.” Keith watched him as he stepped closer so that he stood next to him, “M-Mind if I join you?”

There goes his alone time. Oh well, maybe he could use this to distract himself from his worrying thoughts of Shiro, Adam, and Kosmo, “Sure.” He consented, and as soon as he did, the guy sat down next to him, considerate enough to leave some space between them.

Keith caught a whiff of his scent as soon as he was close enough, and while he managed to sniff it a bit yesterday, now he had the leisure to examine it in more depth. James’ smell was sweet, just like that of any Omega, however, it also had an edge of sharpness within it, reminding Keith of sharp objects such as blades or tools used for construction. It was strange that he compared it to labour work that mostly Alpha and Beta did, but that’s the closest he could come to describing it.

“So… how was your first night at the temple? I bet you were impressed by the soft sheets. I was too when I first came in a month ago.” James was facing him fully now and soon Keith found himself thinking about what he could tell him.

“Those sheets should be banned. They were unfairly soft.” He huffed, thinking back on the traitorous softness. How do they expect any of the Omega to wake up if they’re that soft? Oh god… He could end up waiting hours for Lance and Pidge to get up.

“Knew it!” James smirked, “When I came in they were so soft that I had to change them out for other ones. I’m serious when I say that I didn’t wake up a whole day after I arrived to the temple. I’m actually surprised you’re already up. I heard you traveled for a whole month. That must have been tough.”

“It was terrible.” Keith’s violet eyes moved to meet James’ own, curiously exploring them, “Not only was I exposed to the scorching heat, but I had no means of washing myself, no proper bed, and I had to sleep out in the cart for a whole month. The guards tried to make it as comfortable as they could, but it did little to help the situation.”

“Wow… but you managed to make it here in one piece. That’s good.” James looked away, swinging his legs left and then right absentmindedly, “Allura is a kind person but even she can’t take away the pain that comes with missing one’s family. It’s always hard for the newbies when they come to the temple, at least that’s how it is from what I’ve heard.”

Keith quirked a curious brow at that, “What do you mean? Didn’t you miss your family when you first came here as well?”

“I think I would have…if I had a family to miss. I’m an orphan so it was easier for me to accept this than most of the Omega here. Actually, I’d say that this is one of the best things that happened to me.” James’ words snapped something deep within Keith, his eyes widening in surprise as he stared at his fellow Omega. This person… he was much more similar to him than he originally thought.

Keith let some of his wariness deflate, a few of his walls coming down in light of what he’d just learned, “I was also an orphan. That’s before I was adopted by my brother Shiro.” It was hard for him to say this, but he gave it a shot in hopes that this person would understand his pains. The pain that so few people understood.

“You too?” James turned to him, just as surprised by his discovery as Keith was. A smile appeared on his face, meeting those violet eyes, “Don’t tell me you’re Greek as well?”

“I’m half Greek.” But that’s as far as Keith was willing to go, “It’s… reassuring to know that someone like you is here. Hopefully you’ll get to give us that tour you promised.”

James seemed to light up at that, straightening his upper body while also looking away for a second, “O-Of course. I told you I’d give you one and I’ll keep that promise. I’ll just have to find Romelle and tell her that I’ll be taking over her duty.” He scratched the back of his neck, eyes daring to look back at Keith, “If you want we can go right away while it’s still this early in the morning. The more time passes, the stronger the sun will be.”

“Sorry, but I need to wait for my friends. They’re still asleep in their rooms.” Keith looked up at the direction of the stairs, “And I think Allura mentioned something about breakfast.” And he had to admit that he was starving.

“Oh! Right! Of course, then I’ll give you one right after all of that.” James looked up at the stairs as well, seemingly a bit nervous, “Y-You know… I’m really glad you made it here in one piece. The desert is brutal, especially to Omega.”

“Yeah.” The ravenette huffed, “I know all about it.” He found himself wondering for a minute if James had to travel that far, “How far did you travel?”

“I didn’t have to. I was already here when I first presented a month ago.” The Omega threw his head up to look at the statue of Taweret behind them, “It’s a long story but as soon as I had my Heat they took me to the temple. The first time I came here I was a bit… conflicted. It was relieving to finally have a place I could belong to but at the same time…”

“What?” Keith found himself asking without even thinking twice about it, “Did something happen?”

James looked away again, fidgeting with his hands, “W-Well… I always thought I’d present as an Alpha so it was a surprise when I turned out to be an Omega. I did everything I could to prepare myself for being an Alpha, because I was so sure that I’d be one. I knew everything there was to know about Alphas, and the ways they usually courted the Omega.” James paused for a second, contemplating his words, “E-Even now I think I’m more-”

“Keith!” The said ravenette flinched when he heard Pidge call out to him from top the stairs, turning to spot the girl in the robes he’d last seen her in yesterday, “Where’s Lance? Are we going to breakfast yet?”

“I don’t know.” Keith shook his head, “I figured you were both still asleep so I came down here to wait for you.”

“What!? Don’t tell me that idiot is still asleep!” Pidge began making her way up the stairs, “Wait up! I’ll get him and we’ll join you!”

“Okay.” Keith sighed, turning over to James again, “Sorry but could you show us to where breakfast is? I’m not sure if we’re supposed to wait for a guide or something, but since you’re already here, I guess there’s no harm done.”

James pressed his lips together, meeting those violet eyes once again, “Of course! I already told you that if you need anything, I’ll be right here to help. And I meant everything I said.”

Keith couldn’t help but smile, glad that someone like James was here to help him, “Thanks. I’ll be sure to come to you if I need anything then.” His words made James look right into his eyes, staring at them for longer than necessary. Keith found himself staring back at him, unsure what to make of it.

“I-”

“Owww! Owww!!!! Pidge! Let go!” Lance’s loud voice interrupted anything James was about to say, snapping both of their attentions back onto the top of the staircase, “This is abuse I tell you! You shouldn’t be doing this to a god!”

“I’m a god as well you idiot! Now move! I’m starving!” Pidge’s voice came next, and soon Keith’s fellow newcomers found themselves stumbling hurriedly down the stairs. Well, Lance was while Pidge took her time, brows furrowed as she stomped her way downwards.

“Keith!” Lance walked over to the ravenette, trying to fix his untangled robe, “You’re already awake? What are you? A god of wakefulness?”

A smirk appeared on Keith’s face, “I _am_ a god.”

Lance furrowed his brows immediately, “Haha… very funny.”

“Is this our guide?” Pidge stormed in-between them, practically glaring holes into poor James, “Look buddy, I’m starving and I need food to function. Allura promised us that there’d be breakfast and I’m itching for it.”

James raised a brow at Pidge’s abrasiveness, pursing his lips at her, “I’ll show you where breakfast is.”

The Omega stood up, dusting off his thighs as he did and holding out his hand to offer Keith help up. Keith, however, shook is head, standing up on his own and facing his two...friends?...companions? It seemed too early for friends, but they seem to have been grouped together by virtue of being new to the temple, “Took you long enough.”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Lance grumbled, crossing his arms and glaring at Pidge, “I don’t know how you two ever woke up, those are the softest beddings I’ve ever slept on and I don’t know how I got by before nesting.”

“We had to wake up at some point.” Pidge huffed, looking between them all, “Now I really want breakfast. Food. Now.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Keith waved her off, “You’re lucky James happened to pass by, or else you’d have to wait for food.”

James, who’d remained quiet ever since the other two Omega arrived, nodded. He turned, waving for them to follow his lead, “Food hall is this way.”

“Oh, a whole hall? This place just gets better and better.” Lance grinned, leaning forward, “Right hairy? This place isn’t so bad.”

“Don’t call me that.” Keith glared at the tanned boy, tugging at a tuft of his hair, “There’s nothing wrong with long hair.”

“You know most of the people here shave their heads, right?” Lance snickers, “They just wear wigs. I’ll never understand why you Greeks love to grow out your hair. All those curls must choke the life out of you in this heat.”

“Long hair is considered beautiful.” Pidge huffed from her spot, folding her arms and lightly tugging at her own hair, “And so are curls for that matter!”

“It’s a death trap is what it is.” Lance shoots back at her, grinning.

“Then why do you have hair?” Keith steps up, throwing a look at Lance’s short locks of brown hair.

“Because I can’t afford a wig.” Lance argues, “Not that I have to anymore, living in luxury and all, but I’m still sensible enough to keep short hair.”

“You’ll all shave my hair over my dead body.” Keith challenges, Pidge nodding beside him, even James gave a short nod from his place leading them.

“Have fun dying then.” Lance snickers.

“It’s not like we’re going to be working the fields.” Pidge defends, shooting Lance a glare, “We’re going to be stuck inside most of the time. We’ll be fine.”

Lance was about to retort, but James stopped, turning to face them, “We’re here.”

The hall was huge. A giant open area held up by columns, carved and painted with various murals of the gods. In the middle were a series of low tables, cushions gathered around the floor for them to seat themselves in. On the table were a collection of fine plates, food lined all along the table’s surface. There was meat. Honest to the gods meat, all sorts of produce, with what looked like fine creams and fruits.

“Dear Hera.” Keith breathed, eyes wide on the table, “I’ve never seen so much food.”

“We’ve been blessed.” Lance agrees, “Ra himself has blessed us.”

“I’ll never go hungry again.” Keith realized suddenly, his knees wobbling a bit as he stared at the food, “I’ll never go another day without food again. No more starving if I don’t make coin.”

“Keith, Keith.” Lance reached over, grabbing the other boy’s shoulder, “Keith, we’re never going to go hungry again.”

“Move losers!” Pidge pushed them both to the side, making a beeline for the food as if she was a starving predator out in the wild, “I have my sights set on that food and nobody here will stop me from getting it!”

“Oh no! Wait up Pidge!” Lance ran after her, soon joined by Keith as well, “I’m getting a full plate of everything they have!”

James stared at them as they went, amused by the sheer determination and thirst within them. Were they all really that hungry? At least he knew that ravenette boy travelled for a month so he didn’t blame him. Although he had no idea about the other two, but from the looks of it, they were _really_ hungry.

Their group of three was beginning to attract attention from other Omega that were around, and that’s when James decided to step in to try and save them some face, or at least just save the ravenette’s dignity, “Uhh… Maybe it would be better if we sat down now.”

“Move it pretty boy!” Pidge hissed, defending her food with her life, “I’m here to eat and that’s what I’m gonna do.”

“Oh wow! Is this beef? Oh my god! Keith! It’s beef!” Lance happily waved the meat around on his fork before eating it, melting as soon as the tender texture of the food dissolved within his mouth, “Ahh… You have to try this.”

“Move.” Keith took a bit of the beef as well, not wasting the time to put it into his mouth as soon as he could. He joined Lance in his melting state, leaning against the brunette for support, his legs wobbly, “Oh. My. God.”

“Uhhh…” James didn’t know what to do, looking around to notice that some of the Omega were smiling as they looked at them. He guessed that must be a good thing, but for how long would that last? “I’ll help you gather the food you want. Let’s go find a place to sit down.”

Keith’s attention snapped to him for a moment, and luckily he did have the heart to understand James’ struggles, “James is right. Let’s sit down.” He pushed both Lance and Pidge gently to two empty seats, seating himself beside the brunette as they all continued to eat.

James joined them as well, seating himself on the other side of Keith, “You guys must be really hungry. How long did you go without food?”

“Do you really want to know?” Lance leaned forward, pointing his fork at him, “I come from a poor fisher’s village where I fought for bread every single day until I presented. My diet was completely made up of fish for the past seventeen years of my life. If you ask me, this is heaven on Earth.”

“I’m no different.” Keith noted, “But instead of living on fish, I got to eat whatever I could afford with the coins I had that day. The food varies from day to day but I never had anything as… as…”

“Godly!”

“Yes! Godly! Thank you Lance.” Keith smiled, “I never had anything as godly as this.”

James couldn’t help but smile as well, immersing himself in watching Keith eat to his heart’s content, “At least now you won’t have to worry about food. When your family gets here, they’ll have enough funds to get whatever foods they like as well. I don’t think you, or your family will go hungry ever again.”

Keith paused in his eating, meeting James’ eyes once again. He was right… Now that Keith thought about it, Shiro, Adam, and Kosmo wouldn’t be hungry anymore. As long as he was here, he didn’t have to worry about any of them starving to death. It made a huge smile spread across his face, “Thanks James.”

“You have nothing to thank me for.” The fellow Omega assured, “I’m here to help, remember? If you’d like, I could bring you some more of that beef you like.”

“That’s fine.” Keith shrugged, “We already have a mountain in front of us.”

“And I’m climbing that mountain real quick.” Lance challenged, “I bet I’d be able to eat all of this by mysel-Hey! Pidge!”

“Too slow! The rules of the jungle are at play here, which means that it’s a first come first serve rule here.” She snickered, grabbing a few pieces of beef before swallowing them down, “I know this is rude as fuck but I’m too hungry to really care about it.”

“I second that.” Lance agreed, although when he turned to look around him, he noticed that most of the Omega were throwing glances at them. As newbies, they were the center of attention, and it wasn’t helping that they were attracting even more attention to themselves, “Maybe we should slow down a bit though.”

“Why?” Keith looked up, chewing on a piece of pork as he looked around, meeting some of the other Omega’s eyes, “You’re right. Let’s slow down the tempo.”

“Nonsense.” Pidge grumbled, “Eat to your heart’s content. You deserve it, especially you Keith. You’ve been travelling around for a damn month.”

“Hey! What about me? Don’t you try and downplay five whole days on a boat Pidge. It’s serious business.” Lance defended, taking another bite of his precious meat.

“Meh… A month is still a month.” Lance was about to protest to that but before he could say anything a fellow Omega appeared beside them. She was a female Omega with long blonde hair tied into two ponytails to the sides, her eyes green as she looked at them with a big smile on her face.

“I see you’re already eagerly enjoying your breakfast. Whew… for a moment I thought you’d all tried to escape into the capital.” The girl sighed in relief, leaning her left hand against Keith and he right hand against Lance’s shoulder, “I just went to pick you up but I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

“That’s because of me.” James spoke, “They woke up early and you were nowhere to be found so I decided to show them the way instead.”

“I was giving them more time to rest!” The girl defended, her cheeks puffing, “But anyway, my name is Romelle. Allura told me all about you last night during dinner. She said you were a nice bunch but she also told me you were interested in art.” She turned to Keith, her smile wide, “Is that true?”

“I dabbled where I could.” Keith answered, shrinking in on himself a bit, staring at his hand as he played with his utensils.

“Wonderful, I’ll be sure to show you the room we keep the pottery and paints.” Romelle clapped her hands, “We have many activities you could choose to practice. From dancing to singing to painting. Everything you’ll need for your future.”

“That sounds nice.” Pidge hummed, “Though I’m more of scholar.”

“You’d be a fine scribe’s wife someday then.” Romelle nodded, “Or a treasurer’s wife, if you so choose.”

Pidge wrinkled her nose at the suggestions, looking put out by the thought she would be _anyone’s_ wife one day. “I don’t think so.”

“Oh.” Romelle blinked, “Well...it’s your choice.”

James shifted uncomfortably, like the idea of being someone’s wife didn’t quite sit well with _him_ either, but he didn’t say anything. He spared a look at Keith, who also squirmed a bit at the idea. Lance frowned as well, placing down his food.

Right, suitors were going to be a thing now.

“So if I wanted to learn the lyre you’d teach me?” Keith cut in, trying to change the direction of the conversation.

“Yes!” Romelle clapped her hands, “We’ll teach you instruments, perfuming, anything you desire. As long as you keep up with your duties to the temple and your required lessons you’ll be allowed any activities you desire.”

“That sounds fun.” Lance smiled, leaning forward, “Perfuming sounds fun. And I always have time for the lute.”

“I’ll show you to the instrument rooms when you’re done then.” Romelle smiled, “I’ll show you all the rooms lessons take place in. You can join whenever you’re not taking etiquette classes.”

Jame coughed into his fist, standing up, “Romelle, I promised Keith I would show him around the temple if it will make things easier.”

“Thank you James.” Romelle waved off, smiling sweetly at the boy, “But I’ve been put in charge of making sure they learn where everything is and know when to begin their lessons. You may join us if you wish however.”

James remained quiet, frowning lightly and nodding instead of saying anything. The rest of the group shrugged, deciding to continue with their feast and devour as much food as they could stomach. Lance and Keith were embarrassed to notice they could only eat a significantly smaller portion than Pidge or the others, not being used to food yet. They both shared a look, flushing in embarrassment as they waited for the others to finish their breakfast.

“Alright.” Romelle announced once she cleaned her plate, placing down her goblet, “Are we all ready for the tour?”

The group nodded, the three new Omega standing and ready to leave. The other gathered Omega spared them looks, whispering under their breath as the group filed out of the room, James trailing after.

The temple was, without a doubt, much more massive and beautiful than they had thought. There were dozens of rooms solely dedicated to lessons in arts and dancing, whole rooms filled with silks and lounge chairs, open balconies overlooking the city. Omegas twittered by in many of the rooms, open choruses singing in some, lessons in lyres and flute playing while others learned elegant dances. Everywhere in the lesson halls seemed to have a person or two already attending their hobbies for the day.

“I didn’t know the Omega were so productive.” Pidge noted as they passed those rooms, actually surprised, “I always thought Omega here enjoyed the high life but it looks like they’re using their time wisely.”

“As wisely as they want.” Romelle winked, “They’re allowed to immerse themselves in any activities they like. Of course they can also choose not to do anything but attend the required lessons but that’s up to the Omega in question.”

“And what kind of lessons are required of us?” Lance asked this time, listening to the harmonious melody of a couple of singing Omegas in the distance.

“Etiquette would be a first.” Romelle raised a finger up in the air, “Biology, prayers, daily service and then also how to manage a household. As an Omega, you’ll need to know all those things.”

“I don’t know if I’m privy to learning how to manage a household.” Pidge stuck her tongue out, “I’d rather skip those lessons.”

“I don’t think you’ll be able to skip those unless you already know something about the topic. We can talk to Allura about it later if you’d like.” Romelle suggested, earning a grumble from Pidge. Lance and Keith could already see her skipping those lessons altogether and they wouldn’t blame her for it. Having people around them telling them what to do was a bit awkward.

“And when do we begin these lessons?” Keith asked this time.

“As soon as we’re done with the tour. Allura is already preparing for your first lesson. She’ll be teaching you about your biology a bit before you’re ready to handle the rest of the classes. Biology is one of the more important ones so she wants to handle it with care. You can’t complete the other requirements if you don’t know anything about yourselves.”

“For one I’d love to know what to do during heats and how I can prevent them.” Lance folded his arms as they walked, “I heard Omega could prevent a heat if they remained in river Nile for seven days without stepping out of it.”

Romelle stopped, frowning as she turned to look at him, “There’s no way for any of us to evade our heat. It’s a natural process, which means that it’ll happen whether you like it or not. I’m sorry to say, but that rumour you heard is wrong.”

“What!?” Lance’s jaw parted in horror, “You can’t tell me I’ll be experiencing heat on a frequent basis! I almost died during my first one!”

“That’s most likely because you were unprepared and didn’t know how to handle it. Trust me, when you enter a heat within the temple it’ll be a much less painful experience.” She tried to assure, “But since you already had your heat recently I don’t think it’s something you’ll have to worry about for now. Instead, we’ll focus on your lessons and other activities you could do within the temple.”

Romelle led them to a giant balcony outside, overlooking the capital in the distance, but also the river Nile to their left side. Sure they couldn’t see the entire capital from here but it was a breathtaking sight none the less, “It’s beautiful.”

“But it’s also super hot.” Pidge grumbled, trying to shield herself by staying under the shade, “You better get inside Keith or the sun will burn you to a crisp!”

“Right.” The ravenette turned, blinking when his eyes landed on both James and Romelle that were standing to the side, “Are you of Greek descent?” He asked Romelle curiously, surprised to see that there were more pale skinned Omega here than he expected.

“Yes, I am.” She perked up, her smile widening, “More and more Greek Omega find themselves within our temple. It’s actually relieving to see.”

“It is.” Keith agreed, “While travelling I thought I’d be the only Omega here that’d stand out. I’m glad that isn’t the case.”

“You’d stand out anywhere with that hair of yours Mr. Grumpy Pants.” Lance teased, “Nobody is insane enough to let it grow that long.”

“Stop harassing my hair Lance.” Keith warned, “Or else I might end up shaving yours off the next time you go to sleep.”

Lance visibly gasped at that, truly horrified by the suggestion, “If you do that then I swear that I’ll massacre you while you sleep. Careful hairy, this is a battle you don’t wanna get yourself into.”

“Hmm…” Keith merely hummed, his arms crossing as their little group walked back inside and under the shade. Romelle made a point to show them the pools, classrooms, prayer areas, and then the area of the temple that was dedicated to outside visits.

“This is where you’ll be able to spend time with your families when they decide to visit. They may not be able to go further into the temple than this, but you’re not limited to how many hours you’re allowed to meet them. Once we had one of the Omega stay here with their family for four days. They’d even brought their bed into the room and made it their own so that they could remain close to their family members.”

“They must have missed them.” Lance thought.

“They did, but for the safety of the other Omega, we couldn’t let them inside. Harming an Omega is punishable by death, but as legends have it, Omegas bring good fortune wherever they go. They’re the vessels of Taweret, which means that if one has an Omega within their possession, they receive incredible luck. However, if they mistreat that Omega, then great misfortune will befall upon them. Luckily we didn’t have many cases of kidnappings but they did happen in the past. That’s why we’re so careful with visitors.”

“I didn’t know about that.” Lance shivered, “But I’m guessing that since they’re so rare that we don’t have to worry about them.”

“Exactly. The chances are low but we’re still being careful.” Romelle moved, going over from one side of the hallway to the other, “But apart from meeting with your families, this is also where you’ll be meeting with your suitors. Omegas have a chance to get to know their potential suitors during parties that are held once a week. When someone catches your eye, or you catch theirs, they’ll be able to visit you here, and you’ll both be able to spend time together.”

“Ugh… I don’t like the sound of that.” Pidge grumbled, glaring holes at her surroundings now. She didn’t approve of any kind of suitors, and if she was being honest, she hated the idea completely.

“You’re newly presented Omega so we won’t expose you to that right away. We’ll give you the time you need to learn more about yourselves before you get to that stage. Don’t worry, everything is designed to make you comfortable, but if there’s anything you’re not privy to then let us know. We’re not a prison, and we do respect all of your wishes. I was in your shoes once as well so I know how hard it can be.”

James snorted a bit here, turning his head to look away from the girl, “Except the part where we _have_ to go to those suitor parties.”

“James, it’s not a lot to ask.” Romelle frowned at the boy, her brows knitting together, “The suitors and donations from the nobility make sure we live comfortably. All they ask is to be allowed a chance to court us. You aren’t even required to accept their courtship in the end.”

The boy looked Romelle in the eyes, his own narrowed. The trio of newly presented Omega stood there, watching a silent conversation pass between them. It felt like an old argument, one that James clearly hadn’t given up on. Romelle’s eyes flickered over him, bouncing between him and the room. She turned to face them, “It takes a while to get used to the idea. James hasn’t become comfortable with it yet.”

Pidge snorted, “I can’t say I’m very comfortable either.”

“We do allow an adjustment period.” Romelle promised the three, turning to face them fully. James crossed his arms, glaring at the girl while she chose to ignore him. She raised her hands, twirling her fingers and smiling bashfully, “It’s actually quite nice to receive attention from so many handsome fellows. And the gifts are lovely…”

She trailed off however, staring down at her hands, “I haven’t found someone who fits my taste yet, but I’m hopeful.”

“Wait. Hold on.” Lance cut in, frowning, “You said ‘handsome fellows’, are our suitors only men?”

James nodded, answering for Romelle, “You probably don’t know because you lived in a village, but the Alpha here have to complete challenges in order to earn the mere right to court Omegas.” He snorted here, “Dozen of Alpha try, but only either the wealthiest or the most clever succeed. The rest don’t have the strength or resources to survive.”

“It’s like that in Troy.” Pidge informed, glancing across the room, “Only wealthy Beta are allowed to try as well. And only the wealthy.”

“A few unweathy Alpha sometimes make it.” James stated, examining his nails, “But those are much rarer, and they have to be very clever if they’re going to complete the challenges without the resources the nobles and such have.”

“Sounds interesting.” Keith stated, tilting his head, “So everyone we meet is someone who completed these challenges?”

“That’s right.” Romelle nodded, “I’m sure you’ll hear all sorts of stories about how they managed to complete them once a suitor takes interest in you."

The trio of new Omega shared a look between them, each frowning at the new information. Pidge was the one to speak first, brushing a brown curl of hair behind her ear, “Is that why you want to teach us to run an estate, because of the likeliness we’ll end up bonded to a noble?”

Keith and Lance both flinched back in surprise, though it was Lance who verbalized his confusion, “Wait? Run an estate? Like, a noble or something?”

“Yes, Lance, that’s what running a household means.” Pidge rolled her eyes, “We’re living in luxury now, they’re not going to make us stop. We’re in this for good.”

Maybe the reality hadn’t quite set in yet, it should have been more than obvious by now, after they’d had a breakfast with _beef_ of all things, but it still somehow hadn’t quite hit that this was the rest of their life now. That the Omega would be living this way for the rest of their lives, or at least until they were courted and taken to an equally elaborate estate.

Keith wasn’t sure what to think about that.

Living here was one thing, but it was only just now sinking in that they were Omega now. The ones from the stories. Those ethereal and beautiful things from the halls with their delicate skin and silk clothes, sweet and soft where he was rough and dry. He’s suddenly very away of his chapped lips and cracked skin, rough and ugly and slightly burned from the desert sun.

He glances at Lance, the same as he is, a bit softer, but also obviously fresh from the fields of labor with callused feet and cracked fingernails. Lance was at least handsome, though, he’d fit in eventually, but Keith wasn’t sure if he ever would.

He still doesn’t get how he’s one of those serene and beautiful people. He’s not what he’s always been told Omega should be, kind and compassionate in all ways. It’s not that he doesn’t care or anything, but he’s short tempered and awkward. He’d heard stories, from both sailors and whores alike, talking about how perfect they were, how beautiful. Whores and rich men paid a lot of money just for the scent of one, perfuming themselves to turn on Alpha men willing to shell out the money.

He gave off that same scent naturally now.

Somehow, without noticing, all three of them had become something rare and valuable seemingly overnight. Now they were those rare and beautiful things that _suitors_ faced _challenges_ just for the right to meet them. Keith had never thought _any_ man would be interested in him, now he was the face of desire.

It was a little overwhelming.

“But as I said, you’re not ready for suitors just yet.” Romelle chirped, trying to move away from the topic, “I think it would be best if I take you to your first lesson now. Before anything else, you’ll need to learn about your bodies.”

“That sounds like a better idea.” Pidge snorted as their little group now began making their way out of the visitation part of the temple, going in further to reach their classroom.

“So.” Lance began, willing himself to focus his attention on something else, “What can we learn about ourselves that we don’t already know about?”

“You’d be surprised but there are actually a lot of things that you haven’t discovered about yourselves yet. Your bodies, even before your first heat, were already in the process of developing your Omega body from a very young age. Our scent glands are one example of that, especially the one on our neck that is used for bonding to our mate. It’s especially important for us to protect this mating gland, because once your chosen mate binds themselves to you, there can be no turning back. You’ll be bound together for life.”

Keith, Lance and Pidge all froze, overwhelmed by their new discovery, “Wait… so how do we protect ourselves from anyone that tries to attack us?” Lance asked, prompting Romelle to turn around and face them.

“You’re not in any danger of forceful bonding within the temple, and any Alpha or Beta that forcefully bond themselves to Omega are subjected to the death penalty. However, for our safety we do wear protective collars when we go out for prayers. Nobody has ever dared to attack an Omega before, but we’re still being extra careful with that.” Romelle assured, earning a few sighs of relief.

“But you’ll have to wear those collars during parties, especially when you’ll be surrounded by potential suitors.” James gently reminded, “Omega have naturally sweet scents, and while we’re holy beings, our scents could still overwhelm an Alpha and cause them to act out of themselves.”

“Do some Omega still choose to wear the collar at all times?” Keith asked curiously as Romelle swiftly turned to resume in her walk.

“There are a few but most of the Omega decide not to wear them. It’s your own choice of course, but I don’t think there’s anything you’ll need to worry about within the temple.” Romelle turned a corner, arriving at the area that is dedicated to education, “And here we are! This is where your classes will be taking place.”

Lance and his two fellow companions looked around the hallway they were in, just as finely decorated as the rest of the temple, with many doors on both sides of the wall. Peeking inside one of the classrooms, Lance was surprised to see that there were comfortable mattresses inside, most likely meant for the Omega students to use while talking with their instructor.

The classrooms looked more like the living room of his house, only more luxurious and extravagant of course. It seemed like a nice area where the three of them would be able to converse amongst each other and learn all there is they needed to know about being an Omega.

“Oh! There you are!” Allura’s voice caught their attention, turning to spot the majestic woman walking over to them with her staff in hand, “You’re right on time. I just got here myself.”

“Aren’t I always on time?” Romelle teased, leaning her hands against her hips, “I wouldn’t dare make you wait for your dear students.”

“Even though you were nowhere to be seen when we made our way to breakfast.” James reminded, earning a scowl from the blonde girl.

“I was on time mind you! I just didn’t expect them to wake up so early. It always takes the newbies a while before they gather the willpower to get out of bed.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask about that actually.” Pidge interrupted, “Why are the sheets so torturously soft? I barely managed to get out of bed.” It was a real struggle, but in the end, she forced herself to get up in favour of discovering her new surroundings.

“We want to accommodate everyone as best we can. Soft mattresses are what most of us find comforting but if you’d like, we could change them for you?”

“Oh no! Nope!” Lance raised his hands up in the air, “I’m good with the soft blankets, thanks.”

“But that’ll mean that Pidge and I will end up waking you all the time. Just so you know, I won’t wait for you when I can be out in the dining hall feasting on beef.” Keith warned while Lance frowned.

“I can get up just fine on my own. Watch me Mr. Grumpy Pants, tomorrow I’ll be waiting for your ass to get out of bed next to that fancy fountain you were next to this morning.” The brunette challenged back.

“I’d like to see that happen but I doubt it will.”

“Watch me.”

“Alright you two.” Allura clapped her hands, “I think it’s best if we go and begin our lecture. Thank you for showing them around Romelle, I appreciate it.” her blue eyes moved onto James as well, “And you too James. I’m glad to see that you’re all getting along just fine.”

“Yeah.” The fellow Omega scratched the back of his neck, turning to look at Keith, “I think we have a lot in common. I’m really glad I met someone like you. M-Maybe we can talk again during dinner? I’d really like to get to know you more.”

Keith raised a brow at that, his anti-social self finding the proposal a bit awkward. However, he really did like James as a friend, so much so that he wouldn’t mind spending more time with him, “That sounds good. I’ll see you at dinner then.” He smiled, earning a smile in return as well.

“Awesome. See you later then.” James turned, surprising everyone when he suddenly made a run for it and disappeared around the corner. The three newbies watched him curiously while Romelle and Allura chuckled amusingly.

“James is the shy type. I bet he’s over the moon that he managed to find someone he could befriend.” Allura gestured towards the classroom, “Now, should we begin?”

“Let’s get this lesson over and done with.” Pdge shrugged, “Although I’m curious about what you’ll tell us.”

“Trust me, I think you’ll find the lessons quite useful.” Allura promised before bidding farewell to Romelle as well, the blonde woman waving happily before taking her leave. Keith, Lance and Pidge made their way over to the soft mattress like seats, plopping themselves down, purring as soon as they came in contact with the soft fabric.

“Oh god… I’m in heaven.” Lance purred, snuggling his head closer to the pillow next to him. Keith followed his example as well, rubbing his head against another white pillow, “How do you expect us to learn if we’ll be overwhelmed by the fluff?”

“There are other seats around if you feel like it’ll distract you from your learning. We try to make everything as comfortable for the Omega as we can, but I understand if sometimes it may be distracting.” Allura leaned her staff on the side while she sat down on a vacant chair near them.

“Nah, it’s fine.” Pidge waved, “I can handle this amount of softness. What I want to know about is what you’ll be teaching us today.”

“Biology is the most important place to begin.” Allura nodded, straightening herself up, looking professional now. She towered over them, high in her chair while they were settled on their pillows. She smiled down at them, glad to have captured their attention. “You may have noticed some...changes…”

“I smell like I was dipped in honey and spice.” Keith grumbled, holding up his wrist and sniffing at it. He flinched back at the overwhelmingly sweet scent.

“Oh, yes, the scent glands are the most obvious change.” Allura wrinkled her nose here, holding up her wrist, “To me you all smell like what your scents will become, but washed out by sweet milk. This will fade over the month as you detox and grow into your anatomy.”

“Detox?” Pidge frowned, leaning her elbow on her knee and resting her chin on her palm, “So we’re going to sweat a lot?”

“Yes.” Allura nods, leaning forward, “When you entered your first heat, the scent flooded your system all at once. But it hasn’t really adjusted inside you yet. It takes about a month or so after the first heat to do so.”

“I didn’t notice our scents were milky.” Lance wrinkled his nose, sniffing at his wrist, “It just smells sweet to me.”

“Yes, it’s hard to pinpoint your own scent.” Allura chuckled, “And it takes time for your senses to stop being overwhelmed by the sudden changes to your anatomy.”

“That aside.” Allura leaned up again, “Your bodies are now adjusting to their ability to bear a child. You can expect regular heats if you remain healthy, which will come over the course of about seven days, peaking at the fourth day and dying down at the seventh. This will occur once every three passings of the full moon.”

The trio shared a look between them, wrinkling their noses in disgust at the thought, none of them having particularly enjoyed their first heats.

“I see you are all displeased by this.” Allura hummed, folding her hands, “But we will teach you to properly prepare for heat so you do not have an unpleasant experience again. You were likely unprepared during your first. Omegas actually require great care during heats, for instance, they _must_ nest, and they require thrice the amount of water that is normally required for the body.”

“That explains why we almost died.” Keith snorted, sharing a look with Lance, who nodded back with a frown on his face. Pidge nodded too, still leaning on her open palm. Keith turned to Allura, frowning still, “And what about...leaking...I did that a lot and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not.”

“Ah.” Allura perked up, “Yes, slick, of course!”

“Yeah! That was confusing!” Lance beat his fist against his knee, “What was that? It got all over our blankets, and everyone in the damn village tried to steal them.”

Allura raised her hand, placating the boys, “Now, now, I’m getting there.” She paused, coughing a bit into her hand, “An Omega’s slick is perfectly natural and healthy. It’s a good sign, and a high quality of slick proves you’re healthy. The slick is a natural oil for Omega that softens the body and acts as a natural lubricant so penetration is not painful during intercourse. It is also believed to have natural healing properties for the body.”

“Whoa! Hold up! Natural healing properties?” Lance raised his hands up, earning a nod from Allura who couldn’t help but smile at that.

“Yes, it’s the reason those villagers wanted to take your blankets. People use an Omega’s slick in medicine quite often, although it is very rare since the Omega can only produce it during intercourse or during their heats. In other words, it’s a rare medical remedy.”

The three newly presented Omega found themselves frowning at that, a bit creeped out by the whole thing, “And what do people use it for?” Pidge asked, ever curious in her pursuit of knowledge.

“Deep scarring, wounds, or even infections. They’re mostly used for external wounds although I know about a few tribes down the Nile who use them as medicine for high fevers.”

“T-They drink it?” Lance paled.

“Those who believe that they have the power to heal various illnesses do. Here in the capital, however, they’re mostly used for scarring.” Allura was being mindful to tell them about all aspects of their biology but Lance and Keith weren’t sure if they wanted to know about this. Oh god…this was…disturbing…

“ _Ehem…_ ” Lance tried to steer away from the topic, “So our bodies change when we get our first heat, right? Apart from the heat, slick, and our glands, are there any more changes?”

“Of course.” Allura confirmed, “We Omega are complex creatures, much more so than our Alpha and Beta brethren. Unlike them, there are various changes that happen throughout our bodies. One such change, apart from slick, would be our sensitivity.”

Allura moved her head to the side so that she could point behind her ears, “There are specific scent glands that give us more pleasure than others. One such being behind our ears, on our necks, wrists and also our hips as well. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to demonstrate this. Do I have a volunteer?”

Keith, Lance and Pidge looked at one another, waiting for which one of them would try, “Keith?” Lance probed, “I think you’d be a great volunteer for this.”

“No.” The pale Omega shook his head, “I don’t like anyone touching me like that.” He folded his arms, eyes drifting over to Pidge.

“Nope.” The girl shrugged, “I’m here to learn. That’s it.”

“You could do it Lance.” Keith nudged his fellow Omega to the side, “You seemed to enjoy it when you had your hair washed by those caretakers back at the baths.”

“ _Geez…_ Fine. I’ll do it.” How were both Pidge and Keith such party poopers? It was just a simple demonstration. Well, whatever, he’ll do it so that they can move on with the lecture, “So what do I do?”

“Thank you Lance.” Allura smiled, pointing behind her ear again, “Do you see the gland behind my ear? If you massage gently into it, then you’ll feel yourself melting into the comforting touch. We always teach the suitors about these scent glands in case they manage to become close to their chosen Omega. And the eventually courted Omega end up enjoying it as well.”

“So I touch your ear?” The brunette raised his hand up but Allura shook her head.

“It would be better if you experience it. Keith, would you like to try?” Allura’s blue eyes moved onto the ravenette who flinched in place.

“Come on Mr. Grumpy Pants. I won’t be touching you so there’s nothing for you to complain about.” Lance teased while Keith rolled his eyes, eventually succumbing to the demonstration.

“Fine.” He moved his hand up, “What do I do?”

“Just touch at the gland behind Lance’s ear. There’s nothing specific you need to know to do it, but I’d just like you all to see what happens when one of those sensitive glands are touched.”

“Careful.” Lance warned, “I’ll be judging what you do.”

“Shut up.” Keith hesitantly reached up behind Lance’s ear and slowly began to rub into the spot he recognised as a scent gland Allura showed them. His moves were careful, not wanting to hurt Lance even though a part of him did want to tease the idiot.

He continued rubbing his fingers against the gland carefully before Lance closed his eyes, letting out low purrs while leaning into the touch of Keith’s hand. It took the ravenette by surprise but he didn’t stop, continuing to rub while Lance leaned his head even closer to his hand.

“See? Even the slightest contact is pleasurable when it comes to these sensitive glands. What’s important to note, however, is that excessive scenting done by our suitors or mates could harm us, which means that scenting or any kind of touch will have to be gentle and cautious when the Omega begins to exhibit any signs of pain.”

“I think Lance is already beginning to show great signs of pain.” Pidge snorted, leaning her hand against her lips, “He’s in so much pain, the poor thing.”

Keith didn’t say anything as Lance continued rubbing his head against his hand, purring louder as he still gently touched behind the ear. That is until Lance cracked opened his eyes, freezing in place when he realised what he was doing, “T-This isn’t!” He pushed himself back as fast as he could, hitting Pidge in the process of it.

“Ouch! Watch out!” The girl grumbled, pushing him up.

“S-Sorry!” Lance blushed fiercely, looking over at Keith who blinked curiously, “T-That didn’t happen! Nope! I didn’t do that! Forget it ever happened. There was no purring, absolutely not.”

“That’s not what I saw.” A smirk appeared on Keith’s face, folding his arms smugly.

“Y-You saw wrong! This was all a hallucination! You were dreaming!” Lance whined, covering his face with his hands, “Oh god… I’ll never live this down.”

“It’s all part of our nature. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Allura patted his shoulder, “You’re not the only one who would have reacted in such a way. All of us would do the same if we were touched like that as well.”

“So the purring is natural?” Pidge crawled back up into a sitting position, watching Allura with a curious raise of the brow. “That’s something _every_ Omega does?”

“Yes.” Allura nodded, “Purring is another response you’ll notice as you adjust to your biology. Whenever you experience excess happiness or pleasure from now on purring will occur. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, it’s as natural as laughter.”

“Nope, nothing about that was natural.” Lance blushed, shaking his head, “Also, it never happened.”

“It did happen Lance.” Pidge huffed, crossing her arms, “And, apparently, it’s going to keep happening when we’re happy or touching sensitive glands. Get used to it.”

“Now, now, Pidge.” Allura tsked, “There’s no need to be aggressive.”

“I’m not being aggressive.” Pidge denied, “I’m just telling the truth. Denying it isn’t going to get him anywhere.”

“We accept this at our own pace.” Allura turned to face Lance, “But I just want you to know that the purring is perfectly normal, Lance, there’s no need to worry. It’s actually a good sign.” She turned to face the rest of them, “We Omega find comfort where we can. We have natural responses to danger and to comfort as well.”

“Response to danger?” Keith straighten up, looking the woman in the eye, “Like what?”

Allura frowned here, biting her bottom lip, “Well...I’ve never seen it myself, but when an Omega is especially stressed or feels they’re in danger they let out a cry referred to as ‘wailing’. It’s said that a wail can drive others to madness and send even docile Omega into a rage.”

The trio flinched back, sharing a worried look between them. That sounded very dangerous at best. Anything that induced madness on that level was best left alone. Keith couldn't even imagine something like that and silently hoped it was simply a myth.

“So you see...it’s especially important to keep each other happy and comfortable.” Allura reached over to her staff, bringing it across her lap and twisting it in her hands. “Which brings us to our second response to danger. Omega can release their natural scents in the air more strongly than normal, and it has a calming effect on those around them.”

“And that’s suppose to get us out of danger?” Pidge raised a skeptical brow.

“It calms those around the Omega.” Allura repeated, “But I assure you that the temple is perfectly safe and that there will be no need for such things while you’re here. I’m simply informing you of the ability.”

“Right.” Keith nodded, also skeptical. He tended to be a bit paranoid by nature, and the idea that they’d _always_ be safe and happy here just didn’t seem realistic to him. Pidge seemed to share the sentiment with him, and they basked in their shared skepticism. Lance seemed reluctant to believe as well, but seemed overall more accepting of the idea.

“So is there anything else?” Pidge asked, huffing, “We all know we can get pregnant already, that’s kind of the Omega’s thing. So you don’t need to explain that.”

Allura flinched back, blinking in bewilderment, “So you know about the birth canal already?”

“Yes.” Pidge stood up, “We’ve all got birth canals, we all lactate after pregnancy, females are more likely to give birth to multiple babies. We all heard the stories.”

Keith shifted, staring down between his legs, now fully aware that he did, in fact, have a birth canal down there that was developing. He shared a look with Lance, who seemed equally uncomfortable.

“So can I go now?” Pidge asked, “I think we all have an idea about how this works.”

“No, Pidge.” Allura shook her head, “We still have to go over basic duties and etiquette. Also, I didn’t get to explain scenting yet.”

“Scenting?” Lance raised a brow, “What’s that?”

Pidge frowned, but since she didn’t know an answer to it, she sat back down with folded arms, “Alright, what is it?”

“Scenting is done by both Alpha and Omega, so it’s not only attributed to Omega solely. The way we scent each other is by rubbing our scent glands against the scent glands of our partner, allowing for the oils of our own scent glands to mix with the foreign scent.” Allura explained, “For example, a mated Omega and their Alpha would scent to show that their partner is taken. The Alpha are especially privy to scenting, and sometimes even do it while they’re courting the Omega. That’s perfectly normal, although if the receiving Omega doesn’t like it, they can refuse it.”

“So scenting is only done when you’re mated?” Keith digged further.

“No, it can be done between friends as well. The Alpha tend to scent their potential mates while Omega scent both those they feel comfortable with along with their mates. That’s the difference between Alpha and Omega scenting.”

“Wow… I didn’t know there were so many things I needed to know as an Omega.” Lance leaned his back against the soft pillows, “I mean there’s the heat, slick, sensitivity, the two defensive systems; ‘wailing’ and controlling our scents, and now scenting too? That’s a lot to remember.”

“It is quite a bit.” Allura admitted, “But that’s considering that we haven’t covered fertility and childbirth, let alone how mating is done.”

“We’ll talk about that too?” Keith didn’t know how comfortable he felt talking about that. It’s… an uncomfortable topic to discuss in a group like this.

“I know about all this stuff.” Pidge huffed, “I don’t need it.”

“Then perhaps it would be good if we talked about that later.” Allura suggested, a wave of relief washing over Keith, “I know it’s an uncomfortable topic to talk but unfortunately it has to be done. This knowledge will help you later when you’re in the process of choosing suitors for yourself. Knowing what to do, and having knowledge of your anatomy will make you more confident overall.”

“Yeah… I’m not sure about that.” Pidge expressed her displeasure again, curiously catching Allura’s attention.

“Perhaps it would be best if we discussed this further when we meet in a one-on-one conversation. I’d be interested to hear what you think about this Pidge.” Allura tried, genuinely seeming to care about Pidge’s problem in all of this. The pale girl noticed it, sighing in defeat.

“Yeah, fine. That sounds like a good idea. I wouldn't’ want to talk about it in front of these two idiots anyway.”

“Hey! I’m not an idiot!” Lance huffed, “That would be Keith.”

“What?”

“You heard me Mr. Grumpy. If only you had decent hair, you wouldn’t be half bad.”

The ravenette sighed heavily, “You have issues Lance.”

“The three of you are quite a bunch.” Allura chuckled, leaning her hand up to her lips, “I’m relieved to see that you’re all getting along so well. It’s been a while since three Omega came to us all a once, and to some degree I was worried that you wouldn’t get along, but I’m glad that I was proven wrong.”

“Uhh... me? And this guy?” Lance pointed to the now furrowed Keith.

“I know it’s hard to accept at first, and I know that this place is overwhelming but…you’ll get used to it eventually. Before I presented, I’d heard all these stories about how holy the Omega within the temple were and honestly, I was intimidated. At first I saw everyone here as some… holy beings that were above me, but then as I began spending more time with everyone, I learned that in the end we’re all our own selves. Yes, we may be the vessels of Taweret but that still doesn’t change who we are inside.”

Lance felt himself lean forward because Allura managed to hit how he felt spot on, and now he felt like he could express a bit more of his frustrations, “It’s hard to believe. Everyone here is so… beautiful. I really don’t think I’ll be able to fit in.”

“Nonsense.” Allura shook her head, “We were all like you once, newly presented and intimidated by the other Omega within the temple. All it’ll take is time, because with that, you’ll learn that there’s beauty within you didn’t discover yet. And I’m not only talking about your appearances here.” She winked, her smile widening, “In my opinion, you’re all beautiful in your own ways. If everyone were the same, I think this world would be quite a boring place, don’t you think?”

“ _Pfft!_ Yeah, I can go along with that.” Pidge snorted, “Still doesn’t mean I’ll like it here though. The way I see it, I’m still a prisoner.”

“We’re not a prison.” Allura’s voice was firm, “But considering who you are, I know why you would feel this way.” Tanned hands tapped against the wooden staff, careful with her next words, “I’ll try to see what I can do for you Pidge. We can talk about this more when we’re alone.”

The pale girl frowned, nodding, “Okay.”

Keith and Lance looked at each other in uncertainty, still a bit overwhelmed by everything they learned, “I’m just glad I won’t be having my heat again anytime soon.” The brunette leaned further into the soft pillows, relieved that the torture he experienced wasn’t going to be frequent.

“I always tell our newcomers to compare Omegas to cats. It’s funny because when you look at the two closely, you’ll see that we have a lot in common with our feline companions.”

“You’re really comparing us to cats?” Okay but Keith will admit that Allura did have a point.

“Cats are the fluffiest and the most loving of creatures. Female cats go through heats, they love to cuddle, purr, and they nest as well, so yes, I’d say we’re like cats.”

“Wow.” Keith and Lance both said at the same time.

“Yes, wow.” Allura chuckled, but just as they’d all began talking about cats, Pidge spotted one enter their room, looking around while also eyeing them curiously. It’s fur was reddish in colour, wearing a beautiful golden plated collar that stood out beautifully against its fur.

“Wait, is that a cat?” Pidge pointed to the feline, the other three turning to look at it. Allura perked up as soon as she spotted it, eyes lighting up.

“Oh yes! That’s Red, one of the five felines that lives within the temple. She, along with the other five, are freely wandering around the temple, so if you see one of them walking around, don’t be alarmed. They’ve all grown to be quite fond of the Omega here and have been here for years now.” Allura explained, but when she tried calling Red over, the cat didn’t seem as interested in walking up to her, “And as you can see, Red isn’t particularly fond of me.”

To rub in how unfond she was of Allura, the feline made her way straight towards Keith, rubbing against the Omega’s ankles. The pale Omega blinked, lips twitching as he reached down to pet the cat, “What? This little guy? No.”

To _further_ rub it in, the cat let Keith pick it up and cradle it in his arms, its ears pinned back as pale fingers scratched behind them. Keith smiled, “Good kitty.”

Allura huffed, “I’ve done everything to get that cat to like me, but she spots you and immediately falls in love.”

“Nah, she’s just friendly.” Lance smiles, reaching over to pluck the cat right out of Keith’s hands. The raven haired boy scowled, crossing his arms as Lance walked away, petting the cat. He walked towards Allura, Red docile in his arms, “See? Red’s just a friendly little…”

He tried to hand the cat to Allura, only for Red to suddenly let out a low hiss and swipe at the woman, squirming away until Lance lost his grip. The cat fled, hiding behind Keith’s legs, peeking out to hiss at Allura. Lance could only blink in astonishment at the scene that played out before him.

“Wow.” Pidge snickered, “What did you do to that poor thing Allura?”

“I’ve gone out of my way to be good to her.” Allura huffed, hands on her hips, “But for some odd reason that cat simply does not care for me.”

“Poor Red, what did Allura do to you?” Keith smirked, picking up the cat again and petting her, “It must have been awful.”

Allura huffed, crossing her arms and frowning, “Oh hush you. We don’t need this kind of mockery in this temple.”

“We need _exactly_ that kind of attitude.” Pidge smirked, leaning back against the pillow, “Keith, I like you.”

Keith blinked, surprised, not used to being the center of positive attention. He went quiet now, not sure what to say. He hadn’t expected to be in a situation where he was having good social interaction. Most of the time he was awkward at best and what he said never matched what he meant. Now he was in a position where he was receiving positive social feedback and he didn’t know what to do with that.

“Umm...thanks.” Keith scratched the back of his head. He stopped, taking a minute to examine his surroundings, watching as his three companions looked at him, waiting for whatever else he was going to say, used to his bantering by now.

…

Wait.

Wait. Was he making _friend_ s right now?

Keith took a moment to think about it, going over the interactions he’d had with everyone present during the day, and even his interactions with James earlier. It was positive, for the most part, and they were _bantering_.

Good gods, he _was_ making friends.

“Maybe Keith is a cat whisperer? I bet you had an army of cats living with you back home.” Lance teased, although he didn’t want to admit that even he was a bit salty from the rejection. From now on he made it his mission to win over Red’s love. It might be silly, but he’ll prove to Allura that Red’s love can be earned.

“Not cats but a wolf.” Keith smirked, “His name is Kosmo and I’ve known him ever since I was a baby. We’ve grown up together.” Petting Red like this really reminded him of his furry companion, “I want him to come live with me here when he arrives with Shiro and Adam to the capital.”

“So you’re a dog person but Red still likes you?” Lance raised a brow, his hands on his hips, “Suspicious.”

“You’re just jealous Red took a shine to me.” Keith bit back, his smirk unfading as he patted the content cat. He’ll always be loyal to Kosmo but having another companion wouldn’t hurt. He was sure that Kosmo wouldn’t have anything against the feline.

“What treachery.” Allura huffed, “I’ll win your heart someday Red.”

“Don’t worry Allura.” Lance leaned closer to her, “You’ve already managed to win over my heart instead.”

“Oh gods…that’s terrible.” Pidge stuck out her tongue, “I’m so sorry Allura, not only has Red rejected you but you also have this guy admitting his devotion to you. That is some _terrible_ luck.”

“Hey! People would beg for my devotion! I bet if I walked out the streets right now, everyone would be bowing down to me.”

“They’d be bowing down to all of us.” Pidge rolled her eyes, “We’re all Omega, you’re not anything special Lance.”

“You…”

“Well.” Allura clapped her hands together, “I know you’re all eager to continue your lessons of etiquette but I think that a little break will do us good. It’ll give you a chance to go out and explore the temple out on your own. Would you like to do that?”

“That’s what I’ve been waiting for.” Pidge smiled, standing up from her seat, “I want to go around and see what else this temple has to offer on my own.”

Lance huffed, not privy to going out in this scorching heat, “I’ll go as long as we don’t venture outside. I want to stay as sweat free as I possibly can.”

“I second that.” Keith agreed, “And maybe a change of clothes would be good too. We’ve been in these robes since we got here.”

“Oh!” Allura perked up at that, “Shay could help you with that. She’s usually out in the garden reading, but I’m sure that she’d be willing to help you find more clothes for yourselves. I’m sorry, I’d forgotten to bring you more clothes so that you had more options to choose from.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Pidge shrugged, “But yeah, these robes aren’t really made for walking.”

“What’s that Pidge? Uncomfortable walking around with your legs showing?” Lance teased, revealing one of his legs teasingly, “You need to have a bit more self confidence, just like me. I’ll make sure to choose clothes that help me show off your legs.”

“Aren’t you just doing that because it’s hot?” Keith noted, earning a twitch from the other who immediately covered his leg again. There was a small blush on Lance’s face as he turned, and Keith had a feeling that he guessed right. This dork wanted to cool down from the very beginning.

“T-That’s not true! The weather has nothing to do with it _Keith_ .” Lance glared, puffing up, “I wonder what kind of clothes _you’re_ going to choose.”

“We better find out then.” Allura walked over to the door, waiting for the group to follow her, “Let us embark on the quest of fashion. Now that I think about it, this will also help with the lesson as well. I could use this to tell you about the traditional Omega clothing, and what clothes you’re expected to wear at different events.”

This earned a groan from Pidge and Keith, who shared a pained look over their shoulders. Pidge, in particular, dragged her feet as Allura gathered them up and ushered them out the door. Keith couldn’t say he blamed her, he wasn’t inclined to spend the day looking through clothing Though this was a long way from having only one tunic to wear for an entire year, so he couldn’t complain too much. Lance, at the very least, seemed to enjoy the idea that they’d be regularly changing between the latest fashions from now on.

“I thought I escaped this.” Pidge groaned, twisting her hands in her green tunic, “I hated shopping for fabrics with my mother and I hate it now.”

“We won’t be shopping.” Allura hummed, leading them down the hall, “We have fabrics brought in every day from the markets. If an Omega spots one they like we let the purchase run through the temple. We have a tailor and seamstress meet in the room under heavy guard to take measurements and send the clothing back later, cut in the acceptable fashion for Omega.”

“So what you’re saying…” Lance grinned, a skip in his step, “...is that we have private tailors.”

“In a way, yes.” Allura hummed, “We never actually meet the merchants involved with the process, but the seamstress is allowed. She is, of course, always a Beta woman and always heavy investigated before she’s escorted into the room. She is not allowed to leave the room until we cleared the halls of Omega and had guards come and escort her away.”

“That seems excessive.” Keith frowned, “Why not just sew the clothes yourselves?”

“Sewing isn’t a practice most Omega here choose to learn.” Allura informed, leading them around a corner, “All the Omega will most likely bond with someone of high standing. As such, many choose to focus on nobel practices. Sewing is typically of the merchant or lower class, so the few that do practice typically do it as a hobby. Some do sew the clothes themselves, but we keep the seamstress on hand just in case.” 

“Sounds about right.” Pidge huffed, “Though I don’t get this sewing thing at all, it’s easier just to wear wraps.”

“That’s the Greek style.” Allura hummed, “But you’ll find it’s much warmer in the desert.”

“So I’ve noticed.” Pidge wrinkled her nose, “Still, I prefer wrapping the clothes, it seems much simpler.”

They entered a large room then, tables lined inside, covered in all sorts of expensive looking fabrics. A few other Omega browsed the selections, feeling along the colorful fibers. Allura approached one of them, a deeply tanned and larger girl, brown eyes locked on a golden piece of cloth. The girl looked up, doing a double take before smiling, “Hello Allura.”

“Shay, I see you’re indulging your hobby.” Allura smiled.

“Yes.” The girl’s smile was warm, looking back at the golden cloth she held in her hand, “I’m planning to make another headband for Hunk. Do you think he’ll like the golden colour? He usually prefers to wear an orange one but since his favourite colour is yellow, I think he’d prefer this one instead.”

“I’m sure he’ll love it.” Allura examined the piece of cloth excitedly, “But if it’s by you, then I _cannot_ see Hunk not liking it.”

That made Shay blush, “I hope so.”

“I think so.” Allura moved to the side, placing her hand on Shay’s shoulder, “Actually, the reason I’ve come here is to pick out clothes for these three. They’re newly presented Omega that just arrived to us yesterday. We had our first lesson of biology before coming here, but I was thinking that I could continue their lesson here with proper Omega etiquette, specifically what clothing they’re expected to wear at various events.”

“Oh!” Shay perked up, eyes looking over the three of them excitedly, “Hello and welcome to our temple. My name is Shay. I’ve already been living here for over eight months.”

“Hi Shay.” Lance smiled, offering his hand to shake before the girl accepted, “The name’s Lance, but you can call me Lancey Lance if you want. It’s a nickname I like to go by with all my female Omega friends.” He winked but then winced when Pidge nudged him to the side with a bit of force.

“And as far as I know, you’re also a showoff.” She grumbled, but then smiled as she looked up at the girl, “My name’s Pidge. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Shay nodded, turning to Keith next, “And you?”

“I’m Keith.” The pale boy offered his hand and Shay shook it in return, “Nice to meet you.”

“And I’m excited to meet all of you as well. It’s a first that I’ve seen three newly presented Omega come to the temple at the same time.”

“It must be Taweret’s blessing. I have a feeling that these three will be special.” Allura dared to say, earning two frowns from Keith and Pidge. Lance, however, blushed at the praise. Unknowingly through, Red managed to sneak in behind them, walking into the room so that she remained in close proximity to the newcomers.

“Do Omega have to wear special clothing?” Pidge walked up, eyeing the material on the table, hand resting on her hip.

“Oh!” Shay perked up. She rubbed her hands over her delicate clothing, the material flattening under her touch. She wore a full length straight dress with a single shoulder strap, made from a transparent linen. She was decorated with jewelry clasping her wrists and decorating her neck, the true sign of wealth. “As you can see, we Omega don’t wear clothes much different from regular clothing. But the necks are much more protected.” She rubbed at a golden collar of sorts, the expanse of it covering her neck. “Like so. It is often done when leaving the temple, if you so choose, though mine is smaller than most.”

The three Omega stared at the large chunk of gold adorning Shay’s neck. That was supposed to be small? It covered her entire neck quite easily. Lance’s eye twitched at the sight of it. A single one of those could feed his entire village for months.

“Clothing itself is simple, transparent linen of all different styles and colors.” Shay shakes her hand, indicating the jewelry, “But our jewelry will always be precious stones and rare metals. As with normal society these represent our status, but once we gain a suitor wearing jewelry they give us can also represent that suitor’s favor with us.”

“Right.” Pidge clicked her tongue, “So it’s the jewelry that’s most important here.”

“That and make up.” Shay smiled, indicating towards her eyes. It was only then that the group noticed the fine yellow eyeshadow decorating her, “The clothing is rather simple, but it’s the makeup and jewelry that really show off our status. Perfumes are common among Beta and Alpha women, but Omega have the advantage of their natural scents.”

Keith broke off from the group, picking up a piece of translucent linen, eyeing the fabric before his eyes flickered over to Shay. He could see bits of her flesh beneath the fabric, the most private parts of her being hidden by jewelry or double layers of cloth. Shay, unlike most women he knew, had chosen to cover both her breasts. He wondered if this had a significance as well, as most Omega in the temple were hiding them. Or perhaps it was simply the privilege of living indoors?

Violet eyes flickered over the fabrics. They were _all_ transparent linen. There wasn’t a single piece of sack cloth or wool. He glanced back at Lance and Pidge, both dressed in Greek style tunics, and realized very quickly that Allura had been _very_ accommodating to them so far. But it was clear to him that adjusting to Egyptian style high fashion wasn’t going to be a choice.

Especially since most of his immediate suitors were likely going to be Egyptian nobility.

Shay was going over proper cosmetics, but Keith found himself not paying attention, more invested in the various fabrics. There were plenty of reds, blues, and yellows to choose from. Though he couldn’t imagine changing between them too much.

This was certainly going to take some adjustment.

It was funny how even the _clothes_ he was going to wear made him feel like he had a rug pulled out from under him. Suddenly he felt tired, all the weight of too much information pressing down on him. He didn’t want to be here anymore, learning about the eyeshadow and lip paints he would have to wear. He wanted to go back to his room, to his nest, and even that felt odd to think about.

Though, thinking about it, he’d always liked huddling in darks places, curled up with Kosmo wrapped around him, warm and soft like those nests. Maybe that was an early sign he’d missed, equating that need to comfort from his faithful friend.

He missed Kosmo, gods he missed Kosmo, but a nest would do.

“Keith? Are you okay?” The said Omega flinched upon hearing his name, turning back to face the group.

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine.” He moved his hand away from the fabrics, “Just a bit tired.”

“Oh?” Allura tilted her head to the side, noting the sudden change in Keith’s demeanor. Perhaps it was a sign that it was time to give these newcomers a little break. She’d been too excited to show them everything they had to offer that she forgot that too much information all at once like this was rather exhausting, “I apologise. I should have let you go after our biology lesson. I understand it’s a lot to take in.”

“Yeah… It’s quite a bit.” Pidge agreed, “I think it’d be best if we had a bit of time to ourselves so that we could explore the temple on our own. This is still all new territory to us.”

“You’d only gotten here last night, correct? It’s no wonder you’re all so tired.” Shay placed down the cosmetics she was showing them on the table, “At least you saw most of the clothing we wear, and the jewelry as well. It’ll be no problem to continue this lesson at another time.”

“But you didn’t finish explaining the make up yet.” Lance frowned, bummed that they had to stop just when they’d gotten to the topic that interested him, “If we stop now, I expect you to continue where we left off. I need to know how you drew those amazing lines around your eyes.”

Shay’s smile widened, “Of course. I’ll be happy to show you whenever you’d like.”

“Actually… show me now real quick. I could practice when we get back to our rooms.” Lance didn’t want to let this chance slip him by so he dragged Shay into showing him how it’s done before they’d all leave.

Pidge and Keith both rolled their eyes, waiting for the demonstration to finish before they’d take their leave. Keith felt half guilty for stopping the lecture but he could really use his nest right about now. He didn’t think he would remember anything from this anyway. The biology lesson was still fresh within his mind, and he was still trying to understand what they’d learned.

Everything was so overwhelming… yep, a nest sounded like a great plan.

“All done?” Allura leaned closer to examine the lines Lance drew on his own eyelids, nodding in approval, “They look beautiful on you Lance. I’d say it’s a successful first try.”

“Really? Thanks Allura.” The brunette beamed, contrasting his two companions who were ready to bolt.

“Are you going back to your bedroom Keith? I could join you if you are. I’m feeling tired myself.” Pidge stretched her arms up, curiously looking over her fellow Greek companion.

“Yeah. I’ll go lay down in my new nest.” Even though it was weird to think that he’d be looking forward to it, he comforted himself by thinking that the nest reminded him of Kosmo. Maybe if he thought about it hard enough, he could imagine Kosmo laying by his side instead of being in an Omega’s nest.

“You two already going to bed?” Lance frowned, “You’re both such a bore. Instead of going to sleep I’ll explore a bit more of the temple. Who knows what else I could discover here?”

“You do all that Lance.” Pidge waved, “I’m surprised you’re not half as tired as us.”

“Mentally, maybe, but physically? I could run a marathon if I wanted to. This is the body of an athlete you see.” He grinned, showing off his arms.

“We’ll continue the lesson tomorrow then.” Allura decided, “But it’d be uncomfortable if you didn’t have a variety of clothes to choose from so I’ll make sure more clothing is brought to your rooms as soon as possible.”

“Right.” Keith nodded, turning to face his...friend, “Come on Pidge, I’m sure we can find our rooms together.”

“Do you need an escort?” Allura asked, tilting her head.

“No, I remember the way.” Pidge interrupted, reaching over and pushing Keith out the room, “Come on Keith, we’ll go find our nests and relax.”

“And while you two do that, I’m going to stay here and learn more about cosmetics.” Lance called after them as Pidge pushed her fellow Greek out the room. Keith tried to call back, letting the other know that he’d been heard, but Pidge refused to slow down. She pushed them down the halls, refusing to stop.

“Pidge, I think we’ve escaped, you can stop.” Keith pulled away, turning around to face the younger girl, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to stop.

“Not until we’re safe.” Pidge hissed, checking to make sure no one else was around. Once she confirmed that they were alone in the hall she turned back to face him, leaning forward and holding a hand to her side, motioning for him to lean in and listen. “I couldn’t stand another Persephone cursed minute talking about clothes. Frankly, Keith, I don’t give a damn about suitors.”

“Then you don’t have to pay attention.” Keith shrugged, stepping away, “Just nod and pretend to care until those lessons are over, no big deal. I didn’t even really pay attention.”

“I noticed.” Pidge huffed, folding her arms, “That’s why I’m telling you. You think that this whole thing is ridiculous too, right Keith? This whole thing is weird.”

“It is weird.” Keith nodded. He grabbed Pidge’s shoulder, pulling her along to start walking towards their rooms, eyeing the group of Omega that flooded out one of the rooms, a lesson freshly over. He spoke lowly now, whispering to her, “It’s certainly strange, and I’m not fond of some of the ideas, but look at what we gain Pidge.”

“What we gain?” The girl scowled, folding her arms, “Like what? Being locked up in a temple and having our slick drinken? Going through heats? Having to meet a bunch of men that want to fill us with children? Being stuck in an unfamiliar culture?”

Keith sighed, but tried to look sympathetic, “I know. That stuff is...uncomfortable, but look at what else we gain. I used to worry about starving on the streets. I can’t read, and I’ll bet Lance can’t either, and now we have a chance. And we have the power to deny all the suitors we don’t want, possibly forever. I don’t like it here...but the gains could do good for both our families if we play this right. I can get my brother and his lover better careers. And I’m sure you can use your new status to help your father. If all we have to do is put up with uncomfortable lessons to do that then it’s worth it.”

“And you’d be willing to do that for the rest of your life?” There was something heavy within Pidge’s voice, a tint of resentment but also hesitancy as well, “Allura keeps saying that this isn’t a prison but it doesn’t look like it to me. If anything, then the benefits our families receive is the hostage for us to stay here.”

Keith paused for a minute, and while he thought about it, Pidge was right in a way. If Shiro and Adam didn’t receive such great financial support, he doesn’t think he would be as privy to staying here as he thought he would have been, “You’re right… in a way.”

“Of course I’m right.” She shrugged as they both made their way down beautiful corridors, finely decorated and well maintained, “The way I see it, we’re nothing more than expensive breeding stock for the rich. You lived out in a village, you should know how high and mighty the Omega are looked upon. Even an Omega’s fingernail costs a bunch in the medical market because it’s believed that it has the power to heal.”

Pidge raised up her fingers, “Do you really think my nails have that power?”

“I don’t know Pidge.” Keith bit his lip, eyes drifting over to the different Omega that they were passing by. Both the female and male Omega were stunningly beautiful, all of their bodies curved and so soft looking that he had a feeling that if he touched them, they’d feel like soft sheets of silk. He allowed his eyes to remain on one male Omega a bit longer, finding himself blushing the tadest bit because damn, he was so beautiful it hurt. There was no way Keith would be able to look anything like that.

“What do we do Keith?” The pale girl asked worriedly, “I get what you’re saying, but everything is just so hard to accept.”

“I feel the same way.” Keith agreed, feeling a wave of cold air refresh them once they entered further into cooler parts of the structure, “But as I said, I think that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Our families will be doing better financially, and for once, I don’t have to worry about any of us starving. I’ll finally learn everything I wanted to learn about, and we get to refuse all the suitors that come to us. We’ll even have someone help us get through the heats smoother, and I definitely don’t want to experience that hellish thing ever again.”

“Ugh… I wish we never had to have it again.” Pidge stuck out her tongue, hazel eyes looking up at the statue of Taweret in front of them, “This is all so surreal. The last thing I expected to be when I presented was an Omega. Do you think this could be a mistake? Even nature is allowed to make them.”

“I don’t know.” Keith crossed his arms, glancing up at the statue, “Allura seems convinced that the gods planned this.”

Pidge stopped, glaring resentfully at the statue, scowling deeply, “And what gave them the right? They’re not my gods. I worship the Greek pantheon, not these...these...weird...things!”

Keith’s eyes widened at the coldness in her voice. He rushed forward, grabbing her shoulders and dragging her away for the hall, shielding her from the eyes of the other Omega that glanced towards them. He leaned in, hissing in her ear, “Careful, like it or not those are the gods of this land. You don’t have to like them, but you have to respect them, especially since you’re in _their_ lands now.”

Pidge shook beneath his arms, her tiny body trembling beneath him. She looked so small like this, huddled like a child under his shadow. She sniffed, raising a hand to angrily wipe at her eyes, small body still trembling. Her voice cracked when she spoke, “I want to go home.”

The taller Omega winced, unsure of what to do. Pidge wasn’t like him and Lance, she’d never been in danger of going hungry before, she came from nobility, from comfort that they’d never experienced. This situation wasn’t as advantageous to her as it was to them. Her family was always safe from death by starvation, from poverty. This wasn’t an uncomfortable saving grace for her, it was just a hostage situation without much benefit.

Keith wasn’t sure how to comfort her, his obvious attempt had just failed spectacularly, and he wasn’t good at emotional stuff in the first place. So, being who he is, he did the only thing he could do. He shielded her all the way back to the rooms Allura had given them, hiding her from the prying eyes of the other Omega, whose heads were starting to stir and lock onto them. He pulls Pidge closer, hiding her face from them, speeding up his steps until they were ascending the stairs towards their rooms.

Gods, how were these Omega so damn good at telling when people were upset? It was like they could sense it or something.

Then again, Omega were supposed to have the best noses, they could probably smell it. Fuck, was he going to be able to do that?

Questions for later, right now he had to get Pidge back to her room.

The two ducked past any approaching Omega, swerving up the stairs and not stopping for any calls. Keith was on a mission, and he wasn’t stopping for anyone. As soon as his bare feet touched the cool stone of their floor he headed straight for Pidge’s door, throwing it open and leading her inside.

“Those Omega are super perceptive. Don’t tell me it’s a secret sense or something like that?” Pidge watched as Keith closed the door behind them, leaning against it tiredly.

“I’m not sure but I bet they’re able to smell it. Omega noses are super sharp.” They were so good that it was intimidating. People always say that dogs have the best noses but Omega may be giving them a run for their money, “Omega are all about nurture. They must have the ability to sense distress in case a child is crying or something like that.”

Pidge hummed in thought, nodding, “That actually makes sens-Where are you going?”

Keith paused, hand on the door handle, “To my bedroom. I’m tired.”

“Yeah but…” The girl paused, biting at her lip before turning around to make her way into her new nest, “Fine. I’ll be here if you need anything.”

She slowly began crawling into the blankets, and Keith watched her hesitantly as she did. Was she expecting him to stay? Probably, but Keith wasn’t sure how comfortable he was with that. He isn’t privy to being close to people like this and staying here with...his new friend would be awkward.

He already felt himself swaying. Curse his caring conscious, “Want me to stay here?”

“There’s no room anyway.” The girl huffed, “It’s fine. Go ahead and rest. We both need it.”

He wanted to suggest sharing the nest but then a wave of uneasiness hit him, finding the idea even more uncomfortable than anything else he thought of. He didn’t know why, or if it was in his new nature, but sharing a nest seemed like a terrible idea. More than anything, he wanted to protect the nest and only allow those he trusted inside.

Oh god… Was that an Omega thing?

“Okay.” He succumbed in the end, “If you need anything I’ll be in my room.”

“Thanks.” Pidge waved from within her nest, surrounded by nothing but soft fabrics and pillows. Keith envied her, and soon found himself leaving her room in favour of climbing into his own nest. Without even knowing it, he already found nesting to be a new comforting touch to his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MsBluebell: New story, same messy authors. Hey guys, here we are again! We're going to try to stay as accurate as possible to Ancient Egyptian culture and history, but obviously some liberties are going to be taken. We hope you like this, and don't worry, everything we tackle will be treated with respect.
> 
> BlueStarPaladin: Welcome to our new story! Sweet-Talk may not be done yet but if you're a fan of it then I think you'll like this story as well. We applied the same dynamics as we did with that story, only with a different twist on the plot and new struggles. I'd lowkey say this is ST 2.0 but new and improved. Let us know what you think about it in the comments <3
> 
> Chapter Betaed by the wonderful SilviaMoon.
> 
> Tumblr:  
> MsBluebell: [msbluebell](http://msbluebell.tumblr.com/)  
> BlueStarPaladin: [starellas](https://starellas.tumblr.com/)


	2. Sweet Scent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is panicked by the pharaoh's visit and expresses it to his fellow pack members. However, things don't go as planned when they end up spying on Lotor's and Allura's conversation. To add to their misfortune, Keith reached the stage of his Omega puberty where he has to bear with his heightened sweet smell for at least a day before it passes.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own Lance? I could keep you company until lunch if you’d like?”

“Nah, it’s fine. I want to do some exploring on my own anyway, see what this place has to offer you know?” Lance patted Shay on the shoulder, looking over the curious little tool she gave him, “Besides, I also want to practice on drawing eyelines.”

The girl chuckled, her smile ever wide, “Alright, but if you need anything I’ll be here. My bedroom is just above yours as well, so if you need anything at any time I’m here to help.”

“Thanks Shay. Maybe I’ll take you up on that later. The way I see it, those two bores will be in their rooms for the rest of the day.”

“It has been a long journey for all of you. I heard that Keith travelled for a whole month, the poor thing.”

“He looks fine.” Lance waved, “But I’ll leave them be for now. I don’t need them to explore my surroundings. I’ll see you later then Shay!” Lance waved as he slowly left the door, the girl returning it with her trademark bright smile.

Shay was a kind girl, and one Lance could see himself talking to again. Although apparently Shay had a serious suitor that took interest in her, and from what he could tell, she took an interest in him as well. His name is Hunk, and he is a Beta male that serves as a diplomatic figure within the Pharaoh’s palace. From all Shay told him, the guy sounded super sweet. Maybe he’ll get to meet him at the party they’ll be having soon? Who knows.

Lance hummed as he happily walked by beautiful hieroglyphs, intending to get himself lost within the walls of the temple. What was the best way to explore new sceneries? Getting lost, and Lance was intending to do just that.

It was very warm outside so instead of staying out in scorching heat, Lance decided to retreat further into the shadows. Most of the temple was airy, designed in a way that allowed for the wind to enter in a cooling effect. It was nice. He could get used to this.

Eventually he reached a staircase, curiously looking up before he let his curiosity get the better of him. He looked around himself once he was on higher ground, his jaw opening wide when he saw the beautiful garden that lay before him. The greenery wasn’t exposed to the sun, but it was protected by a stone ceiling. It made the area comfortable to be in, and Lance couldn’t resist closing his eyes when he felt a gust of wind pass by.

He walked further into the garden, spotting another statue of Taweret right in front of him. The goddess was beautifully portrayed standing up with one hand on her belly, majestically looking into the distance. Geez… Keith would love this.

He looked at the direction the statue was staring at, his sandals hitting against decorated rock as he reached the edge of the roof, marvelling at the sight of the capital before him. Wow… He doesn’t think the sight will ever get old.

The pyramids in the distance were majestic, symbolising not only the power of the Pharaoh but also Egypt itself. Then there were wide roads with people walking in all sorts of different directions. Women with covered heads were walking with baskets of fresh fruit by their sides, and the merchants stood proudly by their stands, selling their catches to anyone who’d buy them.

It was such a strange sight to see, especially for a fisher boy like himself. It was intimidating in many ways, and the feeling that he didn’t belong here hit him like a thousand heavy rocks. But then as he looked to the side at river Nile, he felt himself calm a little. Water was where he thrived, and without knowing it, he’d associated it with safety and home. If he were to travel down the Nile, then he’d find himself back home, right where he used to fish on an everyday basis.

It was strange how close home felt from here, and yet it was so far at the same time. Lance sighed, seating himself down on the warm rock to rest. He folded his legs close to his chest, letting his eyes drift to the scenery under him.

Not only did he see the capital, but he could also see some of the temple under him as well. He allowed himself to look at the many Omega that were walking around until he spotted a familiar figure among the beautiful creatures.

Wait, was that James? Yep, that was him. Lance focused on the guy, curiously watching as he approached a bush near him, picking out some of the flowers that were there. Huh? Was he picking out flowers for his suitor? Could be, but Lance wasn’t sure if Omega were expected to give gifts in return as well. Were they? He’d have to ask Allura about it later.

Blue eyes narrowed in on James, who, after picking a couple of flowers seemed content enough with what he had and walked away. Huh… He wonders who those flowers are for. Well, not like he cared anyway.

He let his upper body gently fall against the ground, closing his eyes for a minute. This place was really nice, and nobody seemed to be around. He should make this his private spot since he was the one who discovered it… Actually, that sounded like a good idea.

Lance smirked, claiming this area as his own without asking anybody about it. Back home he never would have imagined that he’d find himself in such a beautiful garden, and yet here he was, laying comfortably on warm stone with one of the most magnificent views he’d ever seen. The Pharaoh’s palace be damned, this was the best thing he’d ever experienced.

Maybe it was a good thing he hadn’t presented as Alpha like he thought. Sure, it was weird, and he missed his family, but they’d be here soon. They may very well be entering the capital this very moment, getting ready to start their new life.

And he was here, with a full belly and a bright future ahead.

He wasn’t quite comfortable with the idea of suitors yet, and the idea of being...pregnant...wasn’t something he thinks he’ll get used to right away, but he would, eventually. He liked kids! He always wanted some of his own some day, it was just going to happen a little differently than he imagined.

Yeah, yeah he could get used to this, especially if this meant he could live like this for the rest of his life. Especially if he could learn to read and make perfumes.

It wasn’t a bad trade off.

Lance rolled on his belly, kicking his legs in the air and leaning against his palms. He sighed, letting the sights of the city burn into his eyes, the smell of the garden waiving under his nose. This was the first day of his new life and already everything was going right.

Blue eyes settled on the palace in the distance, the estates surrounding it home to various nobels. It was hard to imagine he might be living in one of those one day. 

Not that he could imagine anywhere better than this.

This place just seemed to become more and more amazing every step he took in it, and it was filled to the brim with the most beautiful people he’d ever seen. And he was allowed to be here, him!

And he’d get to see his family whenever he wanted!

Lance grinned, laughing to himself. He can’t imagine why Keith and Pidge were having such a hard time, especially since Keith seemed to be warming up to his new status too. They probably just needed time, Lance tried to remind himself. Pidge was rich beforehand, and he didn’t know what Keith’s life was before this, but he’s confident his new friends would warm up to this place like he had.

Keith seemed like he really wanted to go to those art classes, maybe Lance could coax him into one later today? Or tomorrow! And then the three of them could take one of the music classes together! Keith looked like a lyre player. And Pidge looked like a flute would be for her, or they could learn to dance! Or...or…

Lance beamed, dreaming of the things he could learn with his friends.

* * *

Shiro felt like he hadn’t stopped walking since they’d taken his brother from him.

The desert sun was unforgivable, scorching hot and baking its heat into the sand. The wrap he brought to protect his body from sunburn wasn’t helping fight off the warmth at all, and poor Adam had long ago become weak from the cruel rays. Poor Kosmo had to be shorn, the fluffiest parts of his fur cut away just so he could survive the heat without succumbing to heat stroke, and he needed twice the amount of water the two men did to stay cool.

Luckily they found a saving grace in another family on the road who just happened to be in a similar situation to them and were gracious enough to spare room on their cart, sparing the three weary travelers from any more long travel by foot.

A few more days. It would only be a few more days until he could see his brother again.

Adam was occupied, speaking to the family that owned the cart, talking about Keith and how he was taken. Shiro was too tired though, having carried most of their belongings during the day before they came across the family. He was content to sit and listen, knowing that they shared the relief that soon their families would be near again.

* * *

It’s been some time since Lance came into the garden, and while he’d been here, the sun managed to move further to the right, showing the passage of time in its purest. The tanned Omega sighed tiredly, stretching out his limbs as he rested, looking down at the crowd of people and Omega alike.

It was easy to imagine that all of those people were little ants under him because they just seemed so small in face of the distance and height he was looking over them from. As he observed, he noticed a bit of a pattern that was taking place within the markets he had a clear view of.

People were evading bumping into each other by walking on different sides of the streets, those going in one direction took one side while those walking the other way took another. It was interesting to see it, the little things one would miss by being down in the markets along those people.

Lance hummed to himself, his eyes drifting to the Nile again to spot boats going on a hunt now that the sun is less fierce. Then, however, he noticed an anomaly within the crowds, catching his attention as people began to gather on the main road that led to their temple, moving aside to let a large cavalcade pass through.

Lance sat up, narrowing his eyes to see what was going on. There were a bunch of people gathered around as a group of Pharaoh's guards passed, then another carrying an Egyptian litter with the Pharaoh himself seated on top. He was waving at the people around him, and Lance couldn’t tell from this distance but he guessed that he had a large smile on his face as well.

The Pharaoh had beautiful tanned skin and long white hair that was tied up into a beautiful bun. It reminded him of Allura’s own white hair, but he wouldn’t be surprised it the Pharaoh’s hair was actually a wig. He thinks it is…at least from the stories he heard.

But holy shit! The Pharaoh himself was making his way to their temple!

“Oh gods!” Lance jumped up from where he was, looking down at the group of people that made their way closer and closer to the temple. They were heading straight for them! Was the Pharaoh coming to visit? Holy! He has to get Keith and Pidge! He doesn’t care if their grumpy asses decided to sleep for the rest of the day, this was super important!

Lance made a beeline for the staircase, running down until he found himself back on ground level where he came from. He tried to trace back his steps but now he didn’t know if he came from the left side or the right… curses…

He decided to risk it and steer left, hoping he’d remember some of the surroundings as he passed them. He may have gotten lost again, and in the process found a lot of interesting rooms he wanted to visit again, but now isn't the time for that.

As if the gods were looking down upon him, he suddenly found himself right in front of their sleeping quarters. He had no idea where or how he managed to get here but he didn’t care. The most important thing is that he found it.

The familiar fountain of goddess Taweret greeted him as he entered, running up the stairs and aiming straight for Keith’s door. He didn’t care about knocking as he slammed the door open with a thud, “Keith!” The poor Omega inside jumped up, startled from sweet sleep as Lance walked further inside.

“Keith! You won’t believe it! The Pharaoh!” Lance reached for the nest but as soon as he touched it he heard a ferocious growl coming from within, instinctually making him back away, “K-Keith?”

“Don’t touch.” His fellow Omega warned with an edge to his voice, and soon Lance could hear more grumbles and displeased sounds coming from within, “God Lance… What do you want?”

“Keith, this is an emergency! What if the river Nile suddenly flooded the capital? Would you have the same reaction?”

There was silence until Keith answered, “Yes.”

“Keith!” Lance whined but didn’t dare touch the nest again, “I saw the Pharaoh and his cavalcade make their way to the temple! What if he asks to see the newbies?”

“I doubt it.” The other grumbled, “Why would he want to see us? You’re exaggerating.”

“I don’t know.” Lance bit his lip, walking around the room nervously, “But what if he asks to see us? We’d be totally unprepared. He’d think we’re-Oh! Are these the new clothes they gave you? They’re super fancy.”

“What?” There was some rustling on the bed now, and Lance could see Keith peek out to look at the fabrics to the side, “Those weren’t there before. Did you bring them?”

“No, I was just-Wait… That doesn’t matter! The Pharaoh is coming!” Lance stressed, putting down the fabric he picked up, “Keith! You need to understand the urgency of the situation! Show me some signs that you do!”

“If you expect me to suddenly start screaming then no, that’s not what I’m gonna do Lance. All you’re doing is senselessly panicking, and you woke me up from a beautiful dream. Thanks.” Keith huffed, disappearing within his nest once again, “Go away. I’m tired.”

“Fine!” Lance stomped his feet against the ground, his sandals hitting the floor in a way to let Keith know that he was mad, “When I wake Pidge up and we’re both ready to meet the Pharaoh, don’t complain and tell me that I didn’t warn you.”

“Sure.” Was all Lance got in response as he left the room, aiming for Pidge’s door next. He opened it with a thud, walking inside in the same panicked manner, “Pidge! You won’t be-” He paused, feeling a shiver run down his spine when he spotted ferocious hazel eyes looking at him from within the nest. They were almost shining in the darkness of the nest with the intention to kill.

Lance didn’t dare say anything else, slowly and cautiously making his way back to the door, “S-See you.” He mumbled as he closed the door behind him, his heart racing. Gods! What was that? Was that even Pidge? Surely that can’t be the innocent girl he’d met when he first arrived here.

…

Lance went back to Keith’s room, “Keith!”

“Oh god.” The pale Omega grumbled from within his nest again, clearly showing his displeasure, “What?”

“Geez! Cool your head!” Lance entered, closing the door behind him, “I-I think I just saw a real life demon.”

“What?” Keith’s voice was lined with sleep, and yet it also had a tint of surprise within it, “I’m sure you didn’t see a demon Lance. You’re full of panic right now. You need to calm down and go back to your room.”

“Go back to my room? The Pharaoh is in the temple!” He stressed, pulling on his hair, “How are you and Pidge so… so… unaffected by this! He’s right here Keith. What do we do? We should dress up or something _at the very least_.”

“Lance… he might not ask for us.”

“You don’t know that.” The brunette defended, “What if he does want to see us? Oh _gods…_ I’m not ready to face the Pharaoh. What do we do? Bolt? Run? No, no, that certainly would leave us with a bad first impression.”

“Lance.” Keith caught his shoulders, forcing the tanned boy to stop. Keith settled the brunette into a sitting position on the soft rug, settling himself across from the other firmly, “Calm down, we’re probably not going to meet the Pharaoh or whatever.”

“Or whatever? Keith! This isn’t just some noble! This is _the_ Pharaoh, the deputy of the gods themselves.” Lance clutched his chest, breathing hard, trying to calm the rapid panic building within the folds of his heart. “I don’t understand how you can be so _calm_ about this! We are in the _same building_ as the Pharaoh himself!”

“And?” Keith raised a brow at the boy, “Lance, breathe. Come on. We’re probably not going to see him at all. He’s probably here for some...whatever Pharaohs do.”

“You mean _other_ than speak for the gods?” Lance’s hands pulled at his hair. He wasn’t calming down at all, and he still didn’t understand how Keith could just stand there like this was all no big deal. “Keith, Keith we’re not ready for this.”

“Lance, listen to me.” Keith forced blue eyes to meet his own, violet drilling into the tanned Omega. Lance froze under the gaze, his hands dropping as the pale Omega eyed him. Once Keith determined that the other boy was paying attention he nodded, speaking evenly, “This Pharaoh guy? He’s no big deal. Even _if_ we somehow meet him he’s no big deal.”

“No big deal?” Lance scoffs, “Keith, he runs the country in place of the gods!”

“Lance, I need you to think about where we are right now. _What_ we are now.” Keith looked him in the eye here, “Think about who you’re surrounded by at all times now.”

Lance froze again. Then his hands rubbed together nervously, unable to settle. There was a painful, nervous twisting in his stomach as he thought about all those beautiful Omega in the hallways, with their sweet scents and smooth skins and lovely dresses. He looked down at his hands, still callused and rough from the work he’d been privy to just days before. His feet were worse, used to worn sandals and hard labor.

He didn’t belong here, with these beautiful people. What was he doing here? There had to be some mistake. And now the Pharaoh was here, and he’d see what a _terrible_ Omega Lance was, because why would anyone think he was anything compared to any of those lovely creatures. He was a fraud, a fluke, he had to be.

“Lance.” Keith snapped his fingers in front of the tanned Omega’s face. Lance jumped a bit, focusing on his pale friend. Keith was frowning, his face drawn and serious. He spoke seriously, “You’ve been an Omega for all of...six days? And only one of those days has been in this temple. The others have been here for months, maybe years, with baths and lotions. You’ll look like them, you’ll look better than them even. So don’t worry about them and don’t worry about this Pharaoh guy.”

Lance had to take a moment to register those words, staring into those violet eyes as he tried to figure out what Keith meant, “Really? You really think I’ll be like them someday?” It sounded surreal to even ask.

“I do. You’re an attractive person Lance, and with some care, I can see you becoming a true Omega easily. But it’ll take time, you can’t rush things.” Keith’s voice was calming and Lance somehow found himself believing in it. He was still in doubt of course, his hands fidgeting in worry of what was to come. Although hearing someone say that made him feel better.

“T-Thanks.” He muttered, looking over Keith’s own callused hands. They were both similar in that way, they were poor, barely managing to earn a dime for even the most essential of things. In some ways it made him calm down even further, knowing that Keith was probably the only Omega here who’d understand. Well…there are many Omega here and most of them were probably poor before coming here, but at least he could relate to Keith since they came to the temple at the same time, “I think you’ll be able to fit in as well. You have all the curves and all.”

“I do?” Keith raised a brow, moving his hand along his lower back, “Maybe.”

“You do.” Lance’s voice gained in confidence, “You’re just as attractive Keith. Well… apart from your hair but that’s another story altogether.”

“You have some serious issues Lance. Let it go.” The other frowned, running his hand through the black hair, “It’s not like I’m commenting on your hair.”

“At least it’s short.” Lance let himself deflate, sighing tiredly as he folded his legs, “But what if the Pharaoh does come to see us? Do they do that with newbies?”

“I don’t know.” Keith shrugged, “But I don’t think it’s something you need to worry about. Besides, it would be weird if he came to see us when we just came to live here. If anything, it’s most likely that he’ll meet us at the party. It would only be respectful of him to do so if he’s a Pharaoh.”

“Huh?” The other raised a brow, “What do you mean?”

“It’s easy. If he asks to see us now without giving us a chance to prepare, then it would be rude on his part. If he really wants to leave a good impression on us, Omega, then he’ll decide to wait until the party at the very least. You really shouldn’t worry about him asking for us. I doubt it’ll happen.”

Lance sat in silence, because Keith had a point. It would make the Pharaoh seem rude… Then again, he was the _Pharaoh_ ; the messenger of the gods. He can do anything he wants, “I don’t know.”

“Just trust me on this.” Keith sat up, patting his clothing as he tiredly went to sit on the edge of his bed instead, “That aside, you came in screaming like a maniac and woke me up. Don’t do it again.”

“But it was important.” Lance stressed, “What if something else happened? What if it suddenly began raining stones all of a sudden? Wouldn’t you want me to wake you up like that?”

“No.” Keith was firm on this, “Even if it’s the end of the world I don’t want to be woken up like that. I travelled for a whole _damn_ month Lance.”

“ _Geez…_ Fine. I won’t come in and save your life ever again, you hear me?” How was this guy so carefree about all this?

“You didn’t save my life. You woke me up.” Keith proceeded to crawl back into his nest, “And even if the Pharaoh guy asks for us, we can reject him. We have that power now.”

Reject the Pharaoh? That can’t be right. Lance blinked, finding himself baffled as he watched Keith get back into his nest. They could never have that power, could they? Would a poor fisher boy like him really be able to reject the Pharaoh even if he invites him for lunch or the like? No, absolutely not.

Then again… Omega did have that power, and he was an Omega now. It will take a bit of time for him to get around this. He-A sudden knock made him look to the side at the door, raising a brow while Keith frowned from near his nest, “Again? I was just getting back into my nest to sleep!” He frowned heavily, making his way back out again.

“I’ll get it.” Lance offered as a sort of an apology, walking up to the door and swinging it wide open. Suddenly he found himself face to face with James whose soft smile fell as soon as his eyes landed on Lance. The brunette raised a brow, noting the flowers James was holding in his hands.

Wait… those were the flowers he saw him pick a while ago. Could it be that…

“Sorry, wrong room. Do you know where Keith might be? I’m looking for him.” James asked, lowering the flowers while Lance continued to stare at him in bafflement. What was this guy up to? Don’t tell him that those flowers were meant for Keith, _Keith?_ Lance was sure that he was picking them for a suitor but…

“I’m here.” Keith called from behind him, and as soon as James spotted him, he lifted the flowers again, “Hi James.” 

“Hey Keith.” The boy beamed, and Lance stared at him as he did, trying to figure out what this guy was up to, “I-I was looking for you. I picked these flowers for you as a welcome gift. I hope you like them.” 

Violet eyes blinked, staring at the other Omega in confusion for a moment. He crawled out of his nest, standing and strolling over to the door, staring at the flowers, resting in a vase in James’ hands. He reached out, his fingers brushing against James’ own, a soft smile twitching on his lips, “Thank you James. That’s very nice.”

“I’m glad you like them.” James smiled again at the words, pulling back his hand to scratch at his cheek. His eyes were on Keith, who was looking down at the flowers, smiling as softly as he had at the fountain. Lance had the distinct feeling that he wasn’t supposed to be here right now.

“It’s very sweet of you to hand out welcoming flowers like this.” Keith looked up at James with this incredibly sweet look Lance didn’t see on him before.

Keith backed into the room, settling the vase of flowers on his armoire, the first of many gifts he’d receive no doubt. Lance turned to face James, suspicious, “So, do Pidge and I get welcoming flowers too?”

James jumped a bit, surprised, blinking at Lance like he was only just remembering he was there, glancing between him and Keith, who was turning back to them now. The Greek boy’s lips twitched as Keith approached, his fingers flicking, “I...only really spoke to Keith before this, so I didn’t know you were having a hard time adjusting as well.”

Lance’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. He suddenly felt a wave of protectiveness for his new friend. He shimmied to Keith’s side, glancing between the two, ready to do...something, because this was weird. Something about this whole thing felt weird, and he couldn’t put a finger on it. He didn’t understand why Keith couldn’t see it, but it was clear the pale boy didn’t see anything wrong at all with the situation, smiling at James like he did something great. “It’s okay, I’ll get you some flowers if you want Lance.”

“I don’t want flowers.” The tanned Omega crossed his arms, looking James up and down curiously, “I just find it weird that Pidge and I didn’t get any.”

James twitched, and Lance could clearly see the nervousness begin to show on him, “As I said, I only really spoke to Keith. He told me a bit about himself so… I thought that flowers would make him feel more welcome.”

“And I appreciate them. Thanks.” Keith’s smile was wide, James’ eyes meeting Keith’s own as they looked at one another...fondly. Okay, now Lance felt like he really didn’t belong here. However, at the same time it almost felt really strange to see this. James is an Omega so there is no way he would be trying to woo Keith. Yeah, maybe he was thinking too much into it.

Sure, the flowers were a friendly gesture, nothing more. No matter how weird it was, an Omega hitting on another Omega just wouldn’t work, “You already found yourself a friend Keith. That’s nice.”

Keith’s eyes turned to him, and for a moment there Lance felt like he was breaking a moment between them but he tried to tell himself again that it wasn’t the case, “I guess.” Keith seemed a bit flustered now, but being anti-social as he proved himself to be so far, Lance guessed that he was out of his comfort zone.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why are you here?” Another pair of eyes moved onto him, something sharp and challenging within them as they bore into Lance’s own blue eyes.

“Why? That…” Oh shoot! The Pharaoh! “The Pharaoh just came to our temple!” He grabbed James’ arms, swinging the Omega back and forth, “What does that mean? Do we have to go out and meet him? Dress up? Put on makeup? What do we do?”

“Whoa! The Pharaoh? He’s here?” James asked in surprise as Lance continued to shake him.

“Yes! You need to tell us what we need to do, otherwise-”

“Lance, calm down.” Keith probed the two apart, “The Pharaoh isn’t here to see us, I already told you that.”

“You don’t know that for sure Keith. This guy does!” The both of them turned to James who blinked at them confusingly, “Uhhh… If the Pharaoh is here then he’s most likely visiting Allura. He’s been courting her for a year now.”

Lance froze in place, taking in the information presented to him a piece at a time, “The _Pharaoh_ is courting Allura? The same Allura _we_ met?”

“Yeah.” James folded his arms, “Everyone in the capital knows about the Pharaoh’s affair with the high Omega priestess. The two are an item, and inevitably one day Allura will become the queen of Egypt. There’s no way she would reject him, not after a year of courting, and that’s not even counting their interactions.” He stuck out his tongue, “Although I have to say that I have deep admiration for the Pharaoh. He surely does know how to swoon the one he desires.”

“Wow… Keith did you know?” Lance turned to his companion.

“How would I know? I’m not even from this country.” Keith, the jerk, frowned before looking back at James again, “So there’s nothing we need to do?”

“No.” James shook his head, “He’s only here for Allura.”

“See? I told you so Lance. _Now_ will you finally calm down? There’s nothing to worry about.”

The tanned Omega deflated, actually relieved by this piece of information. Although he still wasn’t going to admit his defeat to Keith, “I may have exaggerated but that still doesn’t make it any better. If rocks began to rain on us then you’d be here, sleeping until one fell on you and crushed you.”

“I don’t care.” Keith’s frown deepened, “I needed some damn sleep but no, you had to wake me up for this.”

“I did you a favour is all I did.” Lance defended, “If anything then you should be impressed by my quick reaction. I bet if an apocalypse happened I’d know about it first.”

The ravenette rolled his eyes, unamused, “Sure Lance.”

“I’m sorry if I woke you up.” James spoke, catching their attention, “I didn’t mean to intrude. I should have given you these during dinner. I messed up.”

“No, that’s fine. There’s nothing you need to apologise for James.” Keith assured while Lance stared at them, the strange feeling coming back again, “Lance already woke me up before you came in. Thanks Lance.”

“You’re welcome Keith.” The decency! “You know, maybe I should take my leave now. Clearly I’m unwanted here.” He sneaked past James, going for the door handle, “The Pharaoh is here so I might as well have a look while I have the chance.”

“You do that Lance.” Keith yawned, eyeing his nest at the back, “And I’ll go back to sleep.”

“As soon as the sun sets, the caretakers will have dinner prepared for us.” James let them both know, “You might miss it if you go back to sleep but… if you want I can wake you up by knocking on the door.”

He what? Lance _stared_ , eyeing James as he smiled at Keith.

“It’s fine James.” Keith rubbed his eye, “And Lance, you don’t have to leave. I was just joking, I’m sorry.”

Lance shifted in place, eyes flickering between James and Keith. Was he the only one getting weird vibes here? What was going on? How was Keith missing on the obvious weirdness going on right now? Was...was this a Greek thing?

It had to be a Greek thing.

“We should all go see the Pharaoh.” Lance cut in, wanting to keep an eye on Keith until he could confirm whether this was some weird Greek thing or not. He'd talk to Pidge later, she'd probably know.

Keith looked grumpy at the suggestion, “Lance, I want to go back to sleep.”

“Yeah, but Keith.” Lance leaned in, throwing his arm around his friend’s shoulder protectively. Keith froze, shrinking under the contact, flinching like he wasn’t used to it. Lance paused, wondering if Keith _was_ a stranger to touch. Keith didn’t pull away though, taking the time to ease himself into the contact and melt into it.

James’ brown eyes remained locked on Lance’s arm the entire time, eyeing it like he was a starving man. Lance didn’t like it, he didn’t like anything about this situation. He needed to get Keith out of here.

“But Keeeeeith.” Lance insisted, tugging at the boy’s shoulder, “This is our chance to see the Pharaoh in person! Don’t you want to see the ruler of all of Egypt up close?”

“We’ll probably see him at a party or something.” Keith shrugged, eyes flickering back over to his nest, “Besides, authority figures tend not to like me.”

Lance and James both flinched back at that, knowing the implications. Guards tended to be a bit rough with their treatment. Lance chuckled nervously, “Were you a criminal or something?”

“No.” Keith crossed his arms, “But I’m not inclined to meet big, important, people.”

“No one would dare lay a hand on you here Keith.” James’ voice took on a sharp edge, his eyes staring determinedly into Keith’s.

“Yeah, the Pharaoh wouldn’t hurt you.” Lance smiled, patting his friend’s shoulder, “Besides, wouldn’t it be nice to see who these rich guys court? We could get a taste of what’s expected at those parties. We don’t even have to talk to them, just a peek.”

“I don’t know Lance.” Keith shrugged, looking down to stare at his bare feet, “We just got here, and I don’t want to push our luck on the first day.”

“Allura said we’re allowed to go anywhere we want.” Lance reassured, leaning in, “Come on Keith! Don’t be scared!”

“I’m not scared.” The pale Omega narrowed his eyes in a challenge, “I’m anything but scared Lance.”

“Then prove it. Come on, it’ll be fun.” Lance nudged the other closer to the door, opening it as he and Keith made their way outside. The pale Omega didn’t seem to protest so he took it as a good sign. They barely knew each other, but his senses were telling him that this James guy was up to something, which meant that Lance would have to intervene.

“Fine.” Keith succumbed, his voice lined with annoyance, “But at least let me put on my sandals.”

“Oh, right.” Lance let go as Keith went back inside, passing James on his way before putting them on. The other Omega watched curiously, all while Lance watched him in return. James could be doing this out of the goodness of his heart, but then again, nobody did something for nothing.

What if he’s trying to win Keith over and use him in a scheme or something? Oh gods… Maybe he’s planning to set Keith up? But what for?

Either way he’ll have to make sure nothing happens to Keith.

“All done?” James asked while Keith made his way out of his room.

“Yeah. Where are we going?” Keith, unlike the other two, was completely unenthusiastic about the whole thing, finding it more trouble than what it’s really worth. Well, at least it would allow Lance to investigate this James situation further.

“We’re going to spy on the Pharaoh.” Lance turned, “Come on gang! Let’s go!”

“I don’t want to spy on anyone.” James frowned, “That’s incredibly rude.” He turned to Keith instead, “By the way, did you know that we’re neighbours? I’m right next door to you.”

“Yeah I know. Allura already told me.”

“It was quite a surprise when I asked Romelle about it. I was looking all over for you but then she told me that you were in the room next door and I was-”

“Keith! Quick!” Lance broke their conversation, placing himself between the two as he slowly dragged Keith down the stairs, “We have to go or else the Pharaoh will leave.”

“He just came here Lance.” Keith frowned, freeing himself from Lance’s grip, “And don’t pull on me so hard. What’s up with you anyway?”

“Nothing.” The tanned Omega looked away, “I just think we should hurry is all.”

“Don’t pull.” Keith warned, “Let’s just go. I want to get this over and done with.”

“Ever the bore.” Lance rolled his eyes, James joining them as they made their way down the stairs, going in the direction of the visitation area. It was strange to think that Pharaoh would had to follow the ‘only Omega inside’ rule but that seemed to be the case. James managed to lead them there swiftly, and eventually they heard talking in the distance.

Lance focused on the two voices, hearing a chuckle that sounded like Allura, and then a deeper voice with a rougher edge to it. Smelling the air around him, he could immediately tell that an Alpha was nearby. Wow… he never managed to smell one so strongly like this before. Maybe his Omega genes are finally starting to kick in?

“He smells nice.” Lance noted, Keith nodding right behind him.

“Reminds me of lavender back in Greece. This is exactly what they smell like.”

“Lavender? What’s that?” Lance asked curiously.

“They’re a type of flower. Violet in colour and soft on the eyes. Back home we use them as a remedy for cooking.”

“I remember.” James smiled at that, “But I never tried it before. Didn’t… didn’t really have anyone to make it for me.”

Violet eyes remained on James as his gaze turned into something soft, as if reminiscing of what could have been if he was fortunate enough in life, “Shiro taught me how to make one. If you want I can make you one later.”

“Really?” James perked up at that, “I’d love-”

“They’re talking about us!” Lance interrupted, eyeing James as he turned back, “Listen, they mentioned my name.”

Keith silenced himself, leaning forward to catch what was being said more clearly, tilting his head to catch the words. James didn’t look too happy, but he quieted down nevertheless, tilting his one ear forward.

“You’re too kind Allura.” A smooth voice chuckled, “I’m sure they’ll be fine. Anyone under your fine tutelage is bound to adjust very quickly.”

“I certainly hope so.” Allura’s voice sounded, “I know how hard it can be, and both Keith and Pidge are foreigners. They may need extra lessons in the patheon. And I feel like Pidge, in particular, will need time.”

“Ah, yes, ambassador Holt was very insistent that his daughter had an arranged marriage already and that she should be returned.” The deep voice informed, “It took a long time to settle him, but he is not happy.”

Lance sucked in a breath, storing the news away for later. Pidge wasn’t going to be happy with that, not at all. But he figured she’d take any news she could get about what was going on outside with their families. Keith leaned forward further, lining up with Lance, trying to hear more. James was less interested though, and chose to keep guard behind them. Whatever, Lance didn’t care as long as the guy didn’t get them caught.

“I was worried about such a thing.” Allura sighed. Lance wished he could see her right now, because she sounded really tried and he couldn’t quite line that up with the peppy woman he’d seen just earlier today. She spoke again though, sounding just as tied, “The truth is, I’m worried about all of them.”

“Are you having a hard time Allura?” The voice questioned, there was a sound of moving, “There’s no need to be worried. The gods have chosen for them to be here, and they are safe in these walls.”

“I cannot help but feel this is an omen.” Allura confessed, “Three Omega, all in a single night, and they’re all so lovely too, some of the loveliest I’ve seen…”

“Then it is a blessing.” The smooth voice reassured the woman, “Not all omens need be ill Allura. Perhaps they’re merely the first sign of much good to come.”

“I can only hope you’re right...” Allura trailed off. “Would you take them as your other wives?”

“I’ve interest in none but you, love.” The Pharaoh reassured, “Even if they’re as lovely and surely talented as you say. You will always be the loveliest of them all. What need have I for other wives?”

“Lotor…” Allura sighed happily. She sounded so dreamy and happy that Lance felt his heart soar for her. She was clearly happy, and he found himself wanting something like that.

“I want that too.” He whispered without thinking twice about it, sniffing the air to pick up little traces of arousal within. It was bare but there, and Lance could imagine that the two were close by now, their changed scent resulting from the close proximity they were in.

He tried to pick up more on that scent to try and imagine what was going on, but as he did, the scent suddenly changed into that of awareness, “Someone is here.” Allura’s voice sounded, making the three of them jump.

Of course, Allura had a sharp nose just like they did. She’d pick them up even if they were further away, “We’re bolting!” Lance whispered as the three of them began making a run for it. He looked back, eyes widening as soon as he spotted the Pharaoh himself emerge in the corridor they were in. Curses! He spotted them!

But that didn’t prompt the group to stop, running for their lives further within the temple where nobody but the Omega would dare enter. They were safe now but they still ran, intending to get as far away as they possibly could.

Once they felt safe enough they stopped, panting while trying to gather themselves. Lance felt dread creep upon him as the inevitable truth that he’d run from none other than the Pharaoh donned upon him. Gods… he messed up badly. This was even worse than his panicked state when he came running into Keith’s room!

He’s doomed! They’re all doomed!

“Why did you run?” James asked, eyeing Lance specifically, “We should have stayed and explained ourselves.”

“I-I don’t know. I panicked!” He pulled at his hair, actually distressed right now, “Oh gods! This is even worse than what I anticipated! Him seeing us undressed? Okay, doesn’t sound so bad, but this!? Oh gods! I’m doomed!”

“We’re not doomed Lance.” Keith leaned his hands against his ankles, completely drained of energy. Shit, wasn’t he supposed to be sleeping right about now? Curse his luck, “It was a misunderstanding. He’ll understand once we apologise.”

“Oh ancients!” How did this even happen? They weren’t talking about anything secretive were they? Well, okay, a conversation like that was private, and furthermore it involved him. Still, eavesdropping on the Pharaoh like that was incredibly rude, and it could get you executed. Not that Lotor would do that, he was a kind man to his citizens but still! It was so incredibly rude that it hurt. And he did it to the messenger of the gods nonetheless!

“Lance! Get a hold of yourself!” Keith caught his shoulders, forcing him to remain still. And was he crazy, or did Keith suddenly smell sweeter than before? It was definitely different than it was this morning.

“He saw us Keith.” Lance cried, chewing on the nail on his thumb nervously, “He saw us and now we’re going to be executed.”

“That’s not going to happen.” James assured, looking at Keith, “Not even the Pharaoh would dare hurt an Omega, not unless they did something unspeakable. I don’t think that’s ever happened though, so don’t worry.”

“Okay, okay.” Lance breathed, his rapid heartbeat calming down some, “But that doesn’t mean we’re not going to be punished! What if they poke out an eye to punish us for spying?!”

“Lance, listen, breathe.” Keith commanded firmly, his sweet scent washing over Lance now. It was oddly calming, like...like...he didn’t know what. Something warm, like a fire at night. The tanned Omega blinked, his rapid heart slowing underneath that scent. “We’re going to be fine. You’re not going to lose an eye. We’ll just explain that we didn’t mean to spy, okay? We’re Omega now, they’re not going to hurt us like they would before.”

“He’s right.” James nodded, and his scent was sweeter too. It wasn’t as sweet as Keith’s, in Lance’s humble opinion, or as warm, but it was there. Was his nose finally picking up the smaller differences? Or were they changing?

“See?” Keith squeezed his shoulders, “You’re not going to lose an eye, I promise.”

“How do you know?” Lance breathed, his knees still shaking a bit, “You know how guards are Keith! They’re not exactly nice.”

“Because I won’t let them poke your eyes out, alright?” Keith reassured, “And neither will Allura. She’s nice, remember? And that Pharaoh guy likes her.”

“And we’re Omega.” James put in, “The worst they can do to us is confine us to our rooms for a while.”

“That’s right.” Keith nodded, squeezing Lance’s shoulders again, “We’ll be fine. We’ll just explain what happened. Nothing is going to happen to you, I promise.”

“Okay.” Lance breathed, willing himself to take in a deep breath before exhaling. The sweet scent around him helped him calm his nerves as well, feeling himself deflate while his body turned to jelly. Ahh… he could remain within this cloud of sweetness forever, “Thanks Keith.”

“No problem.” Keith smirked, moving to let go of his shoulders, but as he did, Lance found himself slipping down. It prompted Keith to hold onto him a bit longer, surprised by his inability to stand up, “Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah, fine. Just a bit tired now.” Huh? Maybe he should have allowed himself to rest like Keith and Pidge did. But he didn’t feel all too tired when the two of them went to their bedrooms. It was weird.

“The sun is already beginning to set. Perhaps it would be best if we went to dinner so that you can return to your bedrooms earlier.” James suggested, moving to help Keith hold Lance up. However, it was then that the smell got to him, and he recognised it right away. Blocking his nose, James took a step back, “Or maybe you’re not tired after all.”

Lance raised a brow, offended, “What? Do I stink that bad?”

“No, that’s not it.” James shook his head, eyes drifting to Keith, “It’s the sweetness. Keith, you’re using one of the Omega’s natural defences. The sweet smell you’re emitting is meant to calm anyone who inhales it. They call it sweet talking.”

Keith blinked, unsure what James meant. That’s until Allura’s lesson came back to mind, and he tried to remember what she told them about it, but apart from it being used as a system for calming enraged Alpha around them, he didn’t have much to go on, “How do I stop it? I don’t even know how it happened.” He didn’t smell anything, too used to his smell to really tell.

“You must have let it roll off you when you sensed Lance’s distress. It happens, there’s nothing you need to worry about. As I heard, you’ve been an Omega for a month now so your sweet talking ability must have began to develop.”

“What? K-Keith is able to use his weapons now? That’s nuts.” Lance felt almost drunk from the scent but he still had enough clarity to know what was going on, “Geez Keith, you’re dangerous.”

“I didn’t mean to do it.” The other frowned deeply, watching as James stepped a bit further away, “How do I stop?”

“Try to calm yourself. Lance was distressed before but now that he’s calm, you can tell yourself that there’s no need for comfort anymore. That’s what I did at least but… it will take a bit of time before you can fully control it.”

“Wait! So Keith will smell like this for a while?” Lance asked curiously.

“For at least a day. It’s not that bad.” James tried to assure, “Since the sun is already setting, the scent should vanish by itself tomorrow evening.”

“How am I supposed to go to dinner like this?” Keith asked, pulling his wrist up to sniff at the glands there. His nose wrinkled at the scent, his face twisting, “Even I can smell it now.”

“It’s not a bad thing.” James reassured, walking over and placing his hand on Keith’s shoulder. The raven haired boy flinched at the contact, shrinking away before he eased himself, sizing up and regaining the posture he had before. James’ lips twitched, “You’re going to attract a lot of attention until it’s over, so be prepared for that.”

Keith’s nose wrinkled in distaste again, “I don’t like that idea at all.”

Lance straightened himself up, “You’ve got to eat dinner Keith. Besides, they stared at us this morning and it wasn’t a big deal.”

The raven haired boy didn’t look any more comforted by the idea.

James sighed, brushing his free hand through his light brown locks, “Keith, I promise, this isn’t a big issue at all. No one will even say anything. We’ve all been through it.”

“I still don’t like the idea of having a lot of attention on me.” Keith rubbed his arm, moving away from James’ touch, pulling Lance’s arm around his shoulder, “Let’s just get back to our rooms. We’ll worry about it later.”

“But dinner will be ready soon.” James stated, “It would probably be easier on Lance if we just headed straight for the dining hall.”

Lance poked his head up, looking between the two, “I could go for dinner, yeah, but I kinda want to go back to my room now.”

“Then we’re getting you back to your room.” Keith stated, nodding, “There’s no point if you can’t walk, besides, we ate once today.”

“Yeah.” Lance nodded, staring down at his stomach, “Yeah, that’s right. We ate a whole lot today.”

James raised a brow at them, his face twisting, “You only eat once a day? How impoverished were you? Even I ate at least twice after finding work.”

“I’m from a poor village and he was on the border, of course we were poor.” Lance chuckled, leaning against Keith, “Only reason you haven't broken out, right?”

“It was damn near impossible for me to get food on land.” Keith scowled, “And the captain of the ship we worked on always took half the damn fish we caught. If we caught any.”

“I’ve never eaten as much as I did this morning.” Lance smiled happily. The stairs were coming up now, and he was still high on Keith’s scent, which smelt unfairly good. Would he be able to do that soon? He hopes so. It was wonderful, even if it made him sleepy. “That was great.”

“It really was.” Keith smiled, “I still can’t believe they had beef of all things. I heard stories about beef, but I never thought I’d get to try it.”

“It was a dream come true.” Lance hummed, “You think they also have chicken or veal we missed?”

“Maybe? But we’ll find out tomorrow.” He can’t risk exposing himself and Lance was too tired to go anywhere but his bedroom. Keith managed to make it up to their floor, and then made a beeline for Lance’s room. He pushed open the door, helping his fellow Omega make his way to the nest.

“Keith.” Lance whined, “Don’t go into my nest. It’s private.”

And okay, this was most likely high Lance talking right now. The pale Omega sighed, helping Lance sit down on the bed, “There you go Lance. I’ll be going back to my room now, so don’t you dare wake me up again.”

“What? I never woke you before. You liar.” The brunette huffed, crawling his way into his nest, “Stop being Keith and let loose.”

The said Omega found himself baffled, unsure what Lance meant by that. Luckily James was there to explain, “It’s the smell. Don’t worry about it Keith. It’ll go away as soon as you’re further apart.”

“Great. I’ll be going back to my room then. Night Lance.” Keith made his way out, earning a couple of whines as he moved to leave the room, “You can stay Keithhhh… You smell good.”

And that made him blush ferociously, “Absolutely not.” He closed the door behind him, bumping his head against the solid wood. Gods… He really did have the worst of luck, “Sorry James. I didn’t think any of this would happen.”

“That’s alright. None of it was expected.” The boy kept his distance, cautious of the sweet smell. However, since Keith wasn’t using his sweet talking ability intentionally now, the strength of the scent was a bit weaker. It wasn’t enough to make him go drowsy. If the scent remains like this, then he’ll be able to hold up until tomorrow with no trouble, “Do you need help with anything else?”

“Nah, I’m fine. I’ll go back to my nest now. Thanks for all the help.” Keith made relieving steps back to his own room, opening the door to spot his nest inside. It seemed all the more welcoming after all of what happened.

“Alright. I’ll go to dinner but if you need anything after you know where to find me.” James let him know with a smile, and it was the last sight Keith saw before he closed the door behind him, “Thanks. Night James.”

As the door clicked shut, Keith let himself relax, quickly crawling back into the safety of his own nest.

* * *

“Lance was really sure he was going to present as an Alpha like our brother.” The girl, Rachel, shrugged, picking at the frayed ends of her dress, “I think that’s the part that gets me the most. He was so sure that _we_ were sure, but then he started to smell really sweet. We actually thought he was stealing sugar or something at first.”

“We suspected Keith was going to be an Omega for a while.” Adam nodded to his fellow Beta, tucking his legs under him, trying to make room in the cart. Shiro was beside him, nodding weakly every now and again. Kosmo, ever the faithful hound, strolled behind the wagon determinedly, not missing a single step. The donkey the family had brought for the cart was too spooked by him to let the wolf any closer, but that didn’t seem to deter the animal at all.

“How’d you know?” Veronica, another Beta woman, asked.

“Keith has always been too soft looking.” Adam shrugged, clicking his tongue as he thought over the many sleepless nights he and Shiro spent agonizing over the possibility, “And he’s always been very...sensitive. Emotionally. Most people just blamed his bad temper on Alpha-like hot headedness, but we knew better.”

“We probably should have payed more attention to the little things.” Luis, another Beta, mused, “I mean, when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Lance is really emotional too, and he’s got a bit of a temper.”

“Having a temper doesn’t make you an Omega, idot.” Marco shoved his brother’s shoulder, “His temper was why we all thought he’d be Alpha.”

“I’m just saying that it makes sense.” Luis shrugged, “I don’t know how we missed it. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense.”

“Because him being Alpha made sense too.” Rachel elbowed him, “It just turned out the other way.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Adam replied smoothly, interjecting before another argument could break out between the siblings, “We’re on our way to the capital and we’ll see them soon.”

“Keith must be furious.” Shiro sighed tiredly, still slumped against the wooden railing. His Alpha lover peeked over with a tired eye, sharing a knowing look.

“At least we know they’re guarded.” Veronica tried, leaning back against the wooden rail and slumping back. “They’re probably having a way better time than we are right now.”

“At least we haven’t run into bandits.” The father spoke from the front.

Adam supposed that was a blessing, at least. They weren’t so close to the capital that they were guaranteed safety. Adam wasn’t worried about the possibility though. Shiro was strong and skilled enough to defend, and Marco looked large enough to be good for intimidation as well.

He was much more worried about dying of heat stroke, or worse, freezing to death in this cold.

“Should we stop and start a fire for the night?” He asked, eyeing the stars in the sky, “It’s very cold.”

“We have time yet.” Papa, as the father insisted on being called, insisted further, “I plan to arrive a day earlier than planned.”

“We should have brought a boat.” Rachel groaned, “We would have been there by now.”

“Yes, but then these two would have died.” Papa called back, indicating towards Adam and Shiro as he spoke, “The hand of Isis lead us together, and it will lead us towards Lance.”

“What will you do once we reach the city?” Mama turned to look at them, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear.

Adam hummed, folding his hands in his lap, “We haven’t really thought of it past finding Keith and making sure he’s okay. But don’t worry about us, we’ll get by. What about you?”

“We’ll probably just keep fishing.” Mama nodded, “We may be able to open a stall in the market. It will bring good money.”

“The only real question is where we’ll stay until then.” Rachel huffed, crossing her arms and kicking the edge of the cart.

“I’m sure this ‘temple’ will accommodate you.” Adam nodded towards her, “When I questioned the guards taking Keith they said that we would receive aid from the temple if we chose to transfer to the city.”

“I wish we had asked more questions.” Veronica sighed, “But we were too busy keeping our nosy neighbors out of the house.”

“Yes, we weren’t much better off. Several men tried to grab Keith when he was in heat.” Adam nodded, “Shiro and I had to guard his room at the inn.”

Papa snorted, “Sailors, can’t trust them.”

“We were sailors.” Adam reminded the man, “That said, you’re absolutely right. Sailors are awful, especially when they’ve been out at sea for too long.”

“They’re a rowdy bunch.” Veronica agreed, “But the village became livelier every time they came. I’m conflicted when it comes to sailors.”

“Some of them were nice.” Rachel hummed, “But trying to court a sailor is always difficult. They love to travel the seas so most of the time their partners would end up being alone.”

“That wasn’t the case for Takeshi and I.” Adam found himself smiling, “We’re both sailors and the first time we met was on one of our voyages to Egypt. I was worried when I first began sailing that I wouldn’t have time to find myself a mate, but then Takeshi came along and I had all of my prayers answered.”

Even though he was tired and worried, Shiro did crack a smile, “You were a blessing from the gods Adam.”

“Awwww!” Rachel and Veronica both cooed, leaning closer together while looking at the two lovebirds lovingly, “I wish I could find myself a mate like that.” Rachel whined, earning a look from her sister.

“I’m sure you’ll find someone soon enough. One of the perks of moving into the capital is that you’ll have a higher chance to find someone.” Veronica looked up at the stars longingly, “Maybe I’ll have some luck as well.”

“Haha! See what I have to deal with cums? Only the gods will help me once we arrive to the capital.” Papa laughed, receiving a light smack on the shoulder from Mama, “All will be well once our families are all together again. Maybe we could go visit Lance and Keith together? It could give them a chance to get to know each other so that they don’t feel lonely within the temple.”

“That’s a good idea.” Adam nodded, “Keith will feel safer if he has a familiar face around.”

“I agree. Thank you.” Shiro spoke softly but it was enough to express the gratitude he felt. Both for the ride and for their willingness to help them further in the future.

“There’s no need to thank us. We’re both in the same boat.” Luis assured, “Friends help each other out.”

“Thank you.” Adam let himself deflate, leaning onto his Alpha lovingly while also trying to protect himself from the cold air around them. It was baffling how the desert could be so warm during the day and yet also incredibly cold during the night. Greece was like that too but nothing beats a desert.

“We’ll call it a day in a bit. I want to get us a bit closer, otherwise it’ll be even worse for us during the day.” Papa let them all know, and both Shiro and Adam fond themselves nodding along, cuddling as close as they could while the cart moved across the desolate desert.

* * *

When Pidge opened her eyes again, it was to be greeted by the comforting sheets and blankets of her nest. She huffed while staring at the white fabric, wanting to hatefully glare at it but at the same time cherishing it for what it was.

She felt like there were two sides to her now, one wanting to deny this whole thing, while another wanted to embrace it. The nest was a perfect example of this. Her Omega side felt comforted within its hold and yet she herself hated the feeling of weakness that came with it. Building a nest like this made her look weak, and she was anything but that.

With a groan, she willed herself to stand up, climbing out of her nest to be greeted with the gentle morning light. She should enjoy it while it was still gentle, and not fierce on her skin. She doesn’t know how she’ll manage to get over it. Troy was an environment she could stand, but this? It was too harsh on her.

She stretched out her hands in the air, eyeing the fabrics that were neatly placed to the side of the room. She doesn’t remember putting them there… Was someone in her room? The caretakers? Walking up to the fabrics, she guessed that it must have been them. Allura told them that she’d have someone bring clothes over so this must be it.

God… They were all incredibly light and revealing. This wasn’t her style at all. She’ll have to talk to Allura about this because there was no way she would be wearing something like this, no chance.

The linen was green, and translucent, and very, very, Egyptian. It was probably designed to be cool in this terrible heat, but the brunette girl found her nose wrinkling in distaste. She glanced down at the jewelry, simple compared to the ones she’d seen Allura and the other Omega wearing, but clearly there as a status symbol.

She’s no stranger to a free hanging breast and exposed skin, the Greek style of clothing she’s used to wearing often hanging from a single shoulder and leaving them exposed. But she’s also used to the rest of her body being covered, her clothes not being so...see through.

She never thought she’d miss golden ivy in her hair, and flowers in her belt, but she does already.

Was Keith adjusting to this? Because she wasn’t. Lance lived in Egypt his whole life, he knew what to expect at least. But Pidge? No. She was a worshipper of Athena, a virgin goddess of wisdom and strategy. She’d had aspirations of being a priestess in the temple of Athena in Athens one day.

So much for that.

In a way she’s a priestess now, just to a different goddess. One that Pidge hadn’t ever heard of. She had, of course, done a little studying of the Egyptian gods before visiting, but she’d clearly hadn’t done enough reading. Not nearly enough.

She was probably going to have to find something about the goddess of this temple in a library, assuming she could read anything. She really doesn’t want to ask Allura, call her resentful, but she didn’t want to hear it from her.

Pidge wondered if there was anyone else she could ask.

Who was that guy Keith became friends with? Maybe he knew? She should find him and ask. He seemed new enough to understand and knowledgeable enough to spare her the information.

Wait, no, forget him. She had Lance. The guy has lived in Egypt all his life, just because he didn’t know anything about being an Omega yet doesn’t mean he doesn’t know anything about the culture they found themselves in. He and Keith seemed to be her designed companions on this, she could get them together and go over everything. Maybe then they could figure out what to do.

With her new goal set, Pidge made her way out of her room, ignoring all of the fabrics in favour of wearing the clothes she already had on. Nobody will see her putting on those hideous things, ever. She decided to get Lance first since he was right next door, not bothering to knock as she entered the other’s bedroom.

“Lance, you awake?” She walked inside but didn’t hear a response in return, and nor did she see any kind of movement within the nest. Huh? Was he still asleep?

“N-No…” There was a mumble, and then a snort, “Don’t wanna get up yet…”

“Too bad.” Pidge clapped her hands, “You woke me up yesterday so now I’m returning the favour. Get your ass out of bed! We have stuff to do.” She shook his nest, hoping the intrusion would help wake the other up.

“W-What? Oh gods! An earthquake!” The brunette shrieked from within, prompting Pidge to roll her eyes at his idiocy.

“Come on! Get up!” Knowing that a nest was an important aspect of an Omega’s life, she let go of it and instead decided to clap her hands loudly, “Get up! We have work to do!”

“Work?” Lance rubbed at his eyes, lightly growling at the harsh treatment he was receiving, “Hey! Don’t touch my nest! I didn’t touch yours when I came in to your bedroom!”

“You almost did.” Pidge reminded, ceasing her clapping, “We’re going to the library today, if they have one. I need to learn more about this goddess they worship here.”

“Taweret? Why?”

“She’s a foreign goddess to me, and if I’m about to worship her, I’ll need to learn more about her. Come on, while you get yourself together, I’ll go wake Keith up.”

It was these words that finally managed to get Lance’s attention, snapping up and crawling out of his nest, “Wait! That’s a terrible idea! You might not wanna go there.”

“Why?” She raised her brow.

“Keith is… well… his scent is on the loose. It’s that protection mechanism Allura told us about. I’m not sure if he’d want to get out of his room at all.” Lance crawled out, yawning and stretching his tired body. God, he felt even more tired somehow. Must be because of Keith’s sweet scent.

“Is that what’s leaking through the walls?” Pidge wrinkled her nose, turning to face the wall separating Keith and Lance’s room, raising a brow, “How did _that_ happen?”

Lance chuckled uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his head as he twisted out of the of the nest. He brushed himself off, chuckling, “It’s...uh...a long story.”

“Shorten it, did something happen?” Pidge pointed at the clothes set on Lance’s armour, “You’ve got some new clothes by the way.”

“Wait? Already?” Lance spun around, eyes landing on the clothes. He made a high pitched whine, shooting for the clothing, running his fingers over it reverently. He grinned, picking up blue linen, unsurprisingly expensive looking. His was male though, so it wasn’t made to cover his chest. The jewelry dangled from his fingertips as he studied it, simple like the ones she’d been given. He seemed much more enthusiastic about it than she had been. “This is great!”

“Lance? Focus, what happened with Keith?” Pidge scolded.

“Oh? Keith? Don’t worry, he’s fine.” Lance waved off, twisting the fabric in his hands, “I had a little freak out yesterday and Keith accidently started using it. Now he can’t figure out how to stop it.”

“Really?” Pidge turned full to stare at the wall, knocking on it, “Is he going to be alright?”

“Yeah, he should be fine. That James guy said it should be gone by this evening.” Lance reassured, folding the cloth to his chest. “Now get out, I wanna try these on!”

“And then you’ll help me find a library?” Pidge turned to face him, crossing her arms.

“Why find a library? I can tell you all about Taweret.” Lance waved her off, “Now shoo, get out, I want to change now.”

“Promise?” Pidge insisted, raising a brow at him.

“Yes. Now go!” Lance shooed her, waving his hands to motion her out, “Go on, get out. I want these clothes on right now.”

Pidge didn’t stay any longer, leaving out the door. She slipped past the entrance, fingers trailing against the stone as she moved. Leaving Lance alone, she was now left to wait. Keith’s scent leaked a bit from his room, not strongly, but existing. It held a certain strange twist to the sweetness, something that made her eyelids just a bit heavier and her nerves a bit calmer.

Curious, she approached the room, peeking her head inside. A wave of sudden sweetness hit her, and she was almost knocked back by the strength of it. Her knees knobbled, and she had to catch herself against the wall, “Keith?”

“Hmm?” The sound of ruffling came from the nest, and Keith poked out his raven head, blinking at her, “Morning Pidge.”

“It smells like you jumped into a jar of nectar.” Pidge waved a hand in front of her face, trying to lesson the impact of the smell. Hell, that was a relaxing scent. She couldn’t even feel her earlier irritation with it. She’d have to log this with a scribe. Or maybe someone already had?

She’d have to ask someone to check for her until she could learn to read the local language herself.

“Yeah, apparently this is normal.” Keith crawled out of the nest, brushing a hand through his head. He lifted an arm, sniffing at his wrist before flinching back, “I really _do_ smell like I fell in a pool of nectar.”

“I’m ready!” Lance’s voice boomed, his feet slapped against the stone and he turned the corner right into Keith’s room. He slid to a stop, hands flying to his nose, “Oh, gods, you _still_ smell strong.”

“Yeah.” Keith wrinkled his nose. “This isn’t going away.”

“How are we going to go out like this? You’re a total disaster.” Lance looked over Keith’s form critically, “And it doesn’t look like the smell lessened any.”

“It didn’t, and I don’t know how to stop it. The best things I can do is wait here until evening. James said that’s when it would stop so the best option I have is to wait it out.” He didn’t like it, or the fact that he’d be missing breakfast but that was probably how it was going to be.

“Till the evening? But I wanted to go to the library today.” Pidge frowned, “I’ll have you tell me about Taweret Lance, but I’d also like to know if they have any Greek books there. James and Romelle have Greek heritage so there should be some Greek books in here. If anything, I’ll busy myself learning the local writing.”

“That sounds like another bore.” Lance stuck out his tongue, “That aside, how do I look? These clothes really let me show everything I’m packing. All the curves and lines.” The tanned Omega moved to show himself off, earning a roll of the eyes from both, “What do you think?”

“I’ll never wear that monstrosity.” Pidge folded her arms, “Ever.”

“How rude.” Lance huffed, “Clearly you have no taste.”

“Whatever.” She waved him away, prompting him to turn to Keith instead.

“What do you think Keith?”

“They _are_ terrible, but I’ll admit they suit you if it makes you happy.”

“What!? I can’t believe this! Can’t a guy get a compliment or two? Geez!”

“Instead of focusing on that, maybe we should figure out what to do with Keith.” Hazel eyes turned to face the ravenette, “Gods, you reek of sweetness.”

“It’s not my fault. The both of you will be in the same situation when a month passes. Then the tables will turn.” Keith warned.

“I bet you’ll be all over me when I let my sweetness roll.” Lance smirked, “All shall fall down before my scent.”

“I’m so not looking forward to this.” Pidge groaned, massaging her temple, feeling the drowsiness weigh down on her, “Are you really planning to wait this out Keith? You should at least come with us to breakfast. It’d be better to come in a group than all alone smelling like that.”

“What else am I supposed to do?” Keith shrugged, frowning at his wrist, “Can you imagine how much those other Omega are going to stare if I go down? It’s probably better if I wait for dinner.”

“What are you going to do if James is wrong?” Pidge raised a brow towards her friend, “You can’t just skip eating all day, it’s not healthy.”

Both Keith and Lance stared at her, neither saying anything. They shared a brief look between them, both wondering if Pidge really had forgotten where, exactly, they both came from so fast. Keith scoffed, leaning against the wall, “Wouldn’t be the first time Pidge.”

The girl looked personally offended by those words. She crossed her arms, huffing angrily, “Well! I guess we’ll _all_ just stay here then.”

“What? No. I don’t want to be stuck here all day.” Lance squacked, not unlike a bird in Pidge’s humble opinion.

“Well that’s too bad, because we’re not leaving if Keith’s going to be a child and sit up in his room all day.” Pidge sat down right on one of the stray cushions, eyes still narrowed dangerously. “We’re going to sit here and wait.”

“Pidge, I’m fine.” Keith sighed, stepping forward and moving to grab the girl’s elbow, his sweet scent still rolling off him in thick waves of warmth. Pidge found her irritation fading fast, nerves soothing over and melting beneath the power of those calming pheromones. It appealed to all of her senses, thick gooey in the air. “Go have fun. You don’t need to be stuck here all day.”

“You need to eat every day Keith.” Pidge blinked, her eyelids heavy. This was a strange feeling, she rarely felt this calm. “That’s not an option. Especially since you’re an Omega now, and the people in charge of the temple will probably notice if you skip too many meals. So just come out, get breakfast, and help me out.”

“Can’t you at least wait till the evening when this passes? We can go anywhere you want by then.”

“Yeah but James might be wrong, remember? You might end up being stuck here the entire day.” And while okay, she understood Keith’s predicament, but she also pitied the poor guy. She wouldn’t admit it, but leaving him alone like this wasn’t something she was privy to doing, especially when he was smelling like that, “We’re a team, we do everything together.”

Keith raised a brow at that, pausing for a moment to really let those words sink in.

“Yeah, we’re a team now, have been ever since we came to the temple.” Lance closed his nose as he approached closer, placing his arm around Keith’s shoulders, “Even Allura thinks it’s a sign from the gods. The three of us are special.”

“I’m nothing special Lance.” Keith lowered his head, “I don’t think I’ll ever be.”

“You are special Keith.” The brunette leaned closer, feeling the scent make him a bit drowsy, “At least to us you are. We came here together, and now we’re going to stick together. As a unit, we need to watch out for each other.” Unconsciously, Lance found himself leaning a bit closer, purring just a tad bit, “If you don’t want to go to the dining room, then we’ll bring you the food here. How does that sound?”

“Stop rubbing against me.” Keith grumbled, leaning away while Lance continued to purr, “But that sounds nice. I’d like that.”

“And then can we go to the library together?” Pidge pleaded, “I really want to look up those books. I’ll need assistance with that.”

Keith felt himself swaying in place, unsure, “I don’t know.”

“Come onnnn Keith! At least do it for me. I wanna keep smelling you as we go.” Lance whined, earning a blush from Keith who began pushing him away, “Stop smelling me!”

“But you smell so good. Can’t resist.” The tanned Omega complained but tried to resist the temptation of leaning back again. He had to physically hold himself back from leaning closer to Keith. Damn, this sweetness did things to him.

“Alright, alright.” Keith held his hands up, trying to placate his new friends, “How about this? We go with Pidge’s plan and you guys bring me something to eat. Then, when we’re done, we’ll all head towards the library and anywhere else we need to go. I can avoid the crowd there probably.”

Pidge didn’t seem overly happy, but she nodded, content with his decision. Lance, however, beamed, “Great! We’ll go get the food, you stay here and change.”

“Right, right.” Keith shooed them away, “Now get moving, I’ll stay here and wait for you.”

He grabbed their shoulders, turning them around and pushing them out the door, grumbling under his breath the whole time. Lance couldn’t stop grinning even after they’d been effectively kicked out. He turned to Pidge, still grinning, “We win.”

“How is that winning, he still gets to stay in his room for breakfast.” Pidge huffed, beginning her long track down towards the dining hall. Her feet slapped against stone, leaving small smacking sounds as her sandals crunched against the sand.

“Tsk, tsk, my friend.” Lance wagged his finger at the girl, “We got him to eat, and we got him to agree to leave the room. Small victories.”

“Very small.” The girl nodded as she began descending the stairs. A few other Omega were descending as well, filling out and making their own way towards breakfast. Her nose must be getting better, she thinks, because she’s picking up small differences in their smells. Puberty was weird, she thinks, because she’s noticing the soft curves and pretty smiles now. She doesn’t find herself attracted to them, but she's starting to notice.

This was awful.

“How long do you think it’ll be before they consider us Omega enough to do all that meeting suitors and stuff?” Pidge wrinkled her nose. She’d been doing that a lot lately, it was probably going to become a new habit.

“Probably as soon as we learn everything we need to.” Lance shrugged, hopping down the last three steps and landing with a victorious smile. “Allura has a lot of lessons though, and it took a while for Keith’s fancy defense mechanism to kick in, so probably at least a month.”

“By Zeus, I hope so.” Pidge wiped her forehead, “I don’t want to deal with that while I’m also trying to learn all these smells. I always had a good nose, but this is ridiculous.”

“They won’t throw you to the crocodiles yet Pidge.” Lance grinned, turning the corner to enter the dining hall, the pale Trojan entering behind him. The hall was full of people, as she thought, quite a few Omega already seated for breakfast, pecking through the selections.

“Alright, here’s the plan.” Lance turned ninety degrees to face her, resisting the sweet temptations of the beefy aroma that was lingering around, “We stuff ourselves and then make a plate for Keith before we bolt.”

“You don’t wanna eat together with Keith?” Pidge asked curiously.

“I have nothing against that. I just thought it would be easie-Oh shoot! Duck!” Lance pulled on Pidge’s hand, dragging her so that they could hide behind a table from Allura’s sight. The Omega priestess was looking around, as if searching for someone among the crowd. Gods… she must be looking for them after the Pharaoh fiasco…

“Plan B.” Lance decided to change his tactics, “We get ourselves three plates of food before bolting back to Keith’s room.”

“Why?” Pidge’s eyes narrowed, “Are you trying to hide from Allura or something?”

“Yes.” Lance didn’t hesitate to answer, “It’s complicated but… yesterday Keith, James and I _might_ have been listening in on Allura and the Pharaoh talking _andddd_ they _might_ have seen us.”

“What? Allura was with the Pharaoh?” Hazel brown eyes widened, “What the-”

“Shhhh! I’ll tell you about it later but we’ll need to stay away from Allura’s sights. I really don’t feel like explaining all of that now. I’d rather do it when I’m fed.”

“I have no idea what’s going on but fine. I wanted to eat with Keith anyway.” She tried to sit up but was pulled back down with a tug on her wrist.

“Wait for her to leave. Then we’ll get the food.” Lance pleaded, looking over the tables, his eyes trained sharply on the Omega priestess. Allura was still looking around, that’s until she approached Romelle and they began to talk. The two of them talked more and more, until eventually Allura sat down to join Romelle in her feast. Shoot…

“Okay, Plan C, we gather the food while trying to evade Allura.” He looked around, aiming for the farthest table from where she was, “Come on.”

“Gods… why do I have to succumb to this?” Pidge rolled her eyes, and it was at this point that Lance remembered the arranged marriage Allura and the Pharaoh were talking about. They had to tell the Trojan girl about it but… Lance would rather do it with Keith than break the news on his own like this.

“Trust me, it’s in your personal interest that you don’t see her right now.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Well… I’ll explain when we get back to Keith.” Lance promised, focusing on getting the plates and narrowing down on the food he liked. He made sure to grab the beef, and then chicken and veal as well. Holy! They even had those fancy potato salads! Didn’t only the rich eat those? He’s definitely getting that for both himself and Keith. There’s no way he would let his fellow malnourished companion miss out on this.

“Get some of the salad you dork.” Pidge complained, but even though she said that, there was no greenery to be seen on her plate whatsoever.

“You get the salad.” Lance bit back, “I don’t like it.”

“Whatever, I’ll get Keith some then.”

The brunette gasped, “You monster! You know he won’t like it.”

“He’ll be thankful that I’m thinking about his health.”

“You can’t say that if you don’t have any greens on your plate.” Lance bit again, pitying the poor boy that was about to receive it. He decided to serve justice, grabbing another plate instead, “We’ll see which one of our plates he’ll like better.”

“I don’t care.” Pidge focused on grabbing more of the foods, “I’m being considerate.”

Maybe foods like these would be good if Keith wasn’t living a lifestyle similar to Lance’s where food was scarce. His mum always made him eat the greens on his plate, if they were lucky enough to have any, but knowing the pains of it he decided not to expose Keith to it. Then again, they’ll make him choose between the two. Heh… The more food they have the better, “You done?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” The two began making their way back, evading Allura’s eyesight as they turned the corner with four plates in hand, sighing in relief now that they were out of her view.

“Now we just need to escape right on back to our rooms and we’ll be okay.” Lance chuckled, standing up now and speedily walking towards the stairs, not even waiting for Pidge, who was forced to speed after him with her own plates.

“I can’t believe you spied on Allura and the Pharaoh.” Pidge followed him up the stairs, voice heavy with disapproval, “Did you at least hear anything interesting when you were off risking your lives like this?”

“A couple of things.” Lance shrugged, “We’ll talk back in our rooms. Where people won’t sneak up on us and listen in or something.”

“Like how you snuck up and listened in on a private conversation?” Pidge snorted.

“Exactly! Don’t want that happening to us too!” Lance chuckled, purposely ignoring the irony of such a statement. He focused instead on getting the food up the stairs, making his way towards Keith’s room as soon as they reached their floor, a task made much easier by the lack of other Omega getting in their way.

“We got the food!” Lance announced, entering Keith’s room and holding up his plates in victory. The sweet smell had, unsurprisingly, not died down at all during their short trip to the dining hall. Keith, who was hiding in his nest again, shifted. The raven haired boy poked his head out, sniffing the air.

“That was quick.” Keith commented, watching as Pidge entered the room, “I thought that you two would be eating in the dining hall.”

“Lance wanted to, but then he saw Allura and we had to escape.” Pidge snuck past Lance, approaching the nest and settling down on the cushion she’d chosen for herself. She placed down her plates. “What’s this about you two spying on the Pharaoh with James?”

Keith blinked, then snorted, poking a hand out of the nest and waving it around, breezing more of his sweet scent around the room, “Oh, yeah, we did that last night. That’s how this all happened.”

“Oh, really?” Pidge raised a brow, smirking, “Now I _really_ want to know what happened.”

“And we’ll tell you, but first…” Lance presented his hand picked plate for Keith proudly, “This is what I got for you Keith. I hope you’ll like it.”

The ravenette peeked out of his nest, looking at the plate Lance was showing him, “Thanks Lance. I apprec-”

“And this is the plate I picked.” Pidge interrupted, standing up to present her own catch as well, “I’m sure you’ll like my choice better.”

“Uhhh…” Keith found himself in the unfortunate spot where he had to choose between the two, and Lance could clearly see the internal struggle he was going through merely looking at him. He did pity the guy, but he had to save him from Pidge’s terrible plate, otherwise he would remain hungry.

“Come on Keith. I got beef and this fancy potato salad. I only know about this because my mum used to complain that she’d never get to taste the salad of her dreams.”

“The potato salad?” Pidge raised a brow, “It’s common in Greece you know.”

“What!?” How unfair was that! “But it still doesn’t mean that Keith tried it before.”

“I didn’t but I’d like to.” Now he could see the sparkle within those violet eyes, yet the fact that he had to choose one still bothered him, “Uhhh… I’ll accept the both of them. Thank you.” He reached his hands out, carefully taking the plates from both of the Omega before sneaking them back into his nest. Geez… Keith was a rude host. He should at least get out of his nest to eat.

“But anyway, so what did you guys hear?” Pidge probed, ever curious. However, while she was itching to learn about their findings, both Keith and Lance felt a bit hesitant. How will Pidge react to the arrange marriage stuff? Does she know about it? Maybe it would be best to start with the small stuff.

“Allura thinks that the three of us getting here together is a sign from the gods. We’re either an ill omen or good fortune, but I’d say we’re leaning more to the good side if you ask me.” Lance added his own thoughts into this, settling himself down on one of the cushions he claimed before taking a bit of his piece of beef. Gods… Somehow it tasted even better this time. Was it because of the influence of Keith’s scent? Maybe.

“That’s dumb.” Pidge frowned, “I think it’s just a coincidence.”

“Could be.” Keith hummed from within his nest, “But I don’t think it’s anything important. We came together, so what?”

“I mean, it could be a sign from the gods.” Lance, being the only Egyptian in the room, noted, “The things is that we just don’t know, but you’re right Keith, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. It’s not like we can do anything, and the gods can’t tell us anything neither.”

“Point.” Pidge agreed, munching on her own food, “Anything else?”

Blue eyes drifted to the nest, but the bastard Keith could be barely seen. Okay, he’ll just go along and lay it out there, “They mentioned your dad too. Something about an arranged marriage.”

Pidge froze for a moment, and Lance observed her face carefully as it twisted into a frustrated glare, “What! No way! He’s still planning to go along with it!? I already told him a zillion times that I’m not interested!”

“So you know about it?” Keith probed from where he was.

“Of course I know! We’ve been arguing over this for months! Oh gods! I can’t believe this!” Pidge lightly hit the wall beside her with a fist, surprising the two other Omega who stared at her, “If he thinks I’m marrying a guy I barely know then he’s dreaming! No way!”

“Wow… I’m lucky we don’t have arranged marriages in my village. I guess it must be a rich people thing.” Lance hummed, relishing his meat while Pidge began to calm down, Keith’s scent getting to her and calming the nerves.

“I only heard about arranged marriages before but I was never privy to them.” Keith remarked from within his nest, munching on his own food. Lance didn’t want to say it out loud, but it felt good that Keith was eating his food. He couldn’t tell which plate he liked more, but his inner Omega was content now that he provided essential foods for the wounded party in their group. It must be his nurturing nature finding enjoyment in that, _almost_ purring.

“They suck big time.” Pidge frustratingly bit at her food, but no matter how mad she wanted to be, it was all soothed out by the sweet promises of Keith’s scent, “I have so many things I want to explore and learn about, and quite frankly, marriages or anything like that don’t interest me. I don’t know what my dad is expecting, but that guy would never be happy with it. The both of us would be living a nightmare, and I don’t want that. I’m free to choose whatever I want to do with my life.”

“From the stories I’ve heard you’re lucky to have made it to puberty first.” Keith muttered, biting into his food, “You may not think so Pidge, but you’re way better off than most people in your situation. Most females are arranged to marry from birth.”

Pidge made a disgusted noise, “I know that, and I know I’m incredibly lucky to have the parents I do. Most other fathers wouldn’t let women read, let’s not even think about what happens when Omegas are presented.”

“Why? What happens?” Lance asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl.

“That depends on what city-state you’re in.” Pidge puffed, taking another bite out of her food, “Like, Spartans really, really, like men, male Omega would be fought over in the streets or something. I almost think they’re scared of women. In Athens women and Omega are just kind of shut inside their estates.”

“Wait.” Lance places down his food for a moment, “Do the cities not belong under one ruler?”

“No.” Keith put in, sticking his foot out of his nest and poking Lance with his toes, “All the major cities of Greece rule themselves. There are a few, and they all hate each other and worship different gods. They kind of stick together, though, because they hate everyone else more.”

“But that doesn’t make sense!” Lance cried, staring at them, “How does your Pharaoh rule?”

“We don’t have one.” Pidge shrugged, “Like Keith said, they’re all rule differently. Some have kings, others are ruled by a council.”

“That’s crazy.” Lance shook his head in disbelief, picking up his food and shoveling it into his mouth again, still shaking his head as he ate. Pure insanity, that’s what Greeks were, insanity. They didn’t even have a Pharaoh.

“Anyway.” Pidge continued, “Point is, I don’t want to get married to that guy. I have things I want to do, to learn. I wanted to be a priestess of Athena.”

“Ouch.” Keith winced, poking his hand out to pat Pidge on the shoulder, trying to comfort the girl, “Yeah, I can see how a marriage would ruin that.”

“Why? How would that happen?” Lance asked, wishing he knew more about the crazy Greeks now. Oh well, he had a feeling he was going to learn a lot of crazy and weird things soon. He still couldn’t get over the idea of them not having a Pharaoh.

“You have to be a virgin.” Pidge and Keith both looked at him and explained.

“Oh, wow, yeah.” Lance’s lips twitched sympathetically, “Well...at least you don’t have to deal with that now. I mean, it’s not like you’re going to be leaving the temple any time soon.”

Pidge stopped, nearly dropping her plate, staring at him for a moment, something flickering in her hazel eyes, “Say that again.”

“Uuuummmm.” Lance blinked, staring at the girl, “You...can’t leave the temple any time soon?”

The girl kept staring at him, and Lance soon found himself baffled. Was it something he said? “W-What?”

“That may be the answer to my problems.” Pidge hummed, although she looked conflicted as she lowered her head in thought. Leaning her chin against her hand, Pidge forgot all about her food in favour of the idea that was coming to her mind, “My dad can’t disrespect my wishes now. I’m an Omega, and while that wouldn’t change my arranged marriage status back home, it makes a difference here.”

“Wait…” Keith somehow caught onto the direction of her thoughts while Lance was left baffled as to what the two were trying to say, “You can’t participate in an arranged marriage if you’re here. Yeah, you wouldn’t be able to leave but you have the power to decline an arranged marriage. This temple and this country gives you the right to do so.”

Pidge looked up, a wide smile taking blossom on her face, “Oh my god! My prayers have been answered! This is it! I’m saved!” She almost jumped up in excitement, but held herself back in favour of not knocking over her plate.

Bless Athena! This was the answer she was looking for!

“This is nice and all.” Lance hummed, “But while you’ll be escaping the arranged marriage, you won’t be able to become a priestess of Athena.”

And that’s when it donned on her. Lance was right, for once, “Shit.”

“I’m sorry Pidge.” Keith patted her shoulder once again, “But maybe we could make this work somehow? Maybe Allura would agree to send you to Athena? We have nothing to lose if we try.”

“Thanks Keith.” The girl deflated, “Honestly, I’m relieved about the whole marriage thing. You have no idea. It’s been a constant thorn in my arguments with my parents. They’re wonderful and caring people, but sometimes that caring element gets in the way, you know? They mean the best, but… sometimes I just don’t want what’s best.”

“I know.” Keith assured, “Shiro and Adam are like that too sometimes. Luckily I have Shiro who is the reasonable one. Whenever Adam goes out of his way to pamper me, Shiro is the one who pulls him back out of it.”

“You have two fathers?” Lance asked curiously, “And… a wolf?”

“Yeah.” Keith smiled, but it wasn’t like the two of them could see it within the nest. Well, they could, but barely, “They’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I just wish they’d get here already so that I can have Kosmo by my side. He must be suffocating in this heat… I hope Shiro and Adam trimmed his fur…”

“I’m sure they’d do that.” Lance took a bit of that fancy salad, his eyes practically sparkling in delight, “They sound nice from the way you’re describing them.”

“They’re the best.” Keith’s voice was lingered with fondness.

“My dad almost bonded with another Alpha male.” Lance mused, “He is a sailor so there were a lot of fellow Alphas around. They were pretty close from the few comments I heard from him, but then something happened and they broke up. After that he met my mum, and here I am.” A smile appeared on Lance’s face as he thought about it, “My dad doesn’t like to talk about it so I don’t know much.”

Pidge hummed curiously, “My dad says that he was never in an affair with anyone else before meeting my mum. I call bullshit on that but hey, he is an intellect so maybe? I don’t know, I’m conflicted about it.”

“Do you have any siblings?” Keith asked, just as curious.

“I have an older brother, Matt. He’s usually on my side when it comes to the arguing but we have so few of them so it doesn’t really matter. He’s also supporting me with the whole arranged marriage thing. He always has my back.” It was hard to think about, especially with the thoughts that she wouldn’t be seeing her family on an everyday basis like she did thus far, “God, I really want to see them.”

“Aren’t they in the capital? Maybe they’ll come visit soon?” Lance tried to comfort, patting her shoulder.

“Probably. I bet my dad is arguing with the Pharaoh about the whole marriage thing.” Now that she thought about it, that must be the reason nobody came to visit yet, but then again, she just arrived to the temple not even three days ago.

“Don’t worry Pidge, I’m sure they’ll come. For all we know they could come today or tomorrow.” Keith tried to comfort her as well, “I bet Shiro, Adam and Kosmo are travelling in the desert right about now. At least you’re lucky that your family is already here.”

“I second that.” Lance wrinkled his nose, “I bet my folks are travelling on a boat right now, sailing to the capital. Then again, Luis gets seasick travelling on a boat so they might have taken the cart instead. Oh god… I bet they’re singing their lungs out in the desert right about now. I just hope they don’t get attacked by bandits.”

“Shiro and Adam too…” Keith paused for a second, “How deadly are the bandits?”

“I mean, it depends on your luck. If you’re attacked by a larger group then they usually win and steal all you have. However, if they’re a smaller group then you have a chance to either beat them or escape.” Lance ate another piece of his beef, “I hate the bandits. They have no respect. They even steal from the previous Pharaohs’ tombs! Can you imagine that?”

“I wouldn’t want to run into them.” Keith agreed, “Luckily I didn’t the past month I was travelling.”

“That must have sucked.” Pidge snorted, “I’m amazed you even survived.”

“I literally thought I would die.” Keith was being dead serious about this, “I don’t even know how but by some miracle I managed to get here in one piece.”

“And now you’re out of luck again with this sweetness thing.” Lance grinned, catching Keith’s hand as the pale Omega reached out with it again, “So sweet.”

“Let go.” Keith batted him away with a wave, retreating his hand back into his nest, “We’ll see how you’ll feel when you begin reeking of sweetness.”

“Oh I know, and I can’t wait for it.” Lance mused, not bothered by it at all, “I bet I’ll be smelling even sweeter than you.”

“Sure thing Lance.” Both Keith and Pidge said at the same time, prompting the two to high five each other, “But anyway, we’re almost done with our food so I say we go out there and learn about this foreign land we’re in. You in Keith?”

“I’d like to learn as much about this place as I can but…” The smell was the real issue here.

“Don’t worry Keith, I’ll ward off anyone that dares approach you, and in return, you’ll do the same for me when I start smelling like sweetmeat.” Lance offered, cleaning his plate and leaving no traces behind, “We need to instill some knowledge in you before your families come to see you. I bet they’ll be impressed by how much I managed to teach you in such a short amount of time.”

“I bet Shiro will be thrilled.” Keith smiled at that, “But I like the idea. The more I learn, the more I can tell Shiro and Adam about their new home.”

“And I’ll be able to help my dad as well, that’s after we settle the whole arranged marriage issue.” Pidge brightened as well, conflicted on the state of her situation but at the same time hopeful.

“And I’ll brag to my folks about how I befriended two Greeks in a day.” Lance teased, “I bet they’ll like you both. Knowing my Mama and Papa, they’ll immediately decide to adopt the two of you. Get ready to change your family names because you won’t be keeping your old ones for long.”

“Lance, you're poor, you don't have a family name.” Pidge huffed dropping her plate and standing up, “Now, if you’re both done I want to go and look for information.”

“Calm down, Pidge, we don’t even know if they have a library yet.” Keith rolled his eyes, crawling out his nest. He had not, in fact, changed his clothes at all. Something in Lance felt annoyed at this, wanting to see Keith in proper Egyptian style clothing. That and something in his stomach twisted at the thought of the boy not taking care of himself.

Damn, that Omega nurturing really was kicking in. He was going to be a mess when he had kids one day. Lance blushed, slapping his cheeks at the thought. Because he _was_ going to have kids one day.

“I’m ready.” Keith muttered as he stood up, swiping at himself. His sweet scent hadn’t let up at all, still as thick and strong as it was last night. Pidge and Lance both unconsciously leaned in, wanting more. Though Lance was the only one that grinned and went in for the smell, sticking his nose close for that intoxicating aroma.

“Alright. Stop.” Keith sounded vaguely annoyed, rolling his eyes, “Let’s just go. I want to cover as much ground as possible while the other Omegas are eating.”

“Avoiding the rush is a good idea.” Pidge nodded, turning on her heel to walk out the door, “Let’s go.”

The two followed after her, Keith poking his head out cautiously and checking the halls over thoroughly before slinking out the doorway. Lance followed, taking up the rear just in case anyone snuck up on them and tried to get into Keith’s space. That was a right strictly reserved for him and Pidge, thank you very much, and he wasn’t going to let anyone else get a close smell of the sweet nectar that was Keith right now.

Luckily the halls weren’t too full at the moment, most of the other Omega having decided that breakfast was where they wanted to be right now. It was easy to herd Keith away from the few people that _were_ lingering in the halls. That didn’t stop the staring when they did get close though, every eye immediately locking onto Keith when he walked by. Lance and Pidge had to hurry the raven haired boy along quickly, moving towards the classrooms in uneven lines as they avoided any and all people without the halls, especially the ones that tried to walk after them.

“Shit, I don’t know where to look.” Pidge cursed, popping her head inside each door to have a peek. It would make sense if the library was near where the classrooms were but so far they weren’t finding anything but classrooms.

“We should probably ask someone.” Keith suggested.

“Who can we ask? We don’t know anyone.” Lance gently reminded, earning a knowing look from his fellow Omega, “I know that, but we won’t find anything this way.”

“Shut up you two. Let’s get moving, standing here in one spot isn’t gonna help us.” And so they moved, searching for where the library could be. By now all the rooms they saw were either classrooms or just rooms meant for Omega to gather and talk. They’d also managed to stumble upon the baths where Pidge and Keith had to physically hold Lance back from trying to jump into the water.

Not that they blamed him for it. They were beginning to sweat now, and the heat was rising.

Still, they continued on their quest to find the library, until the gods had pity on them, sending them Shay to help with the search. They all brightened up as soon as they saw her around the corner, all running up to her anxiously, “Shay! Thank goodness you’re here!” Pidge sighed in relief, receiving a curious look from the beautiful Omega girl.

“Did something happen?” She asked worriedly, eyeing them all caringly.

“Yeah, we’re lost.” Lance revealed, “We need your help. We’re looking for the library, if you guys have any. Do you know where it is?”

“Of course, we have one but it’s on the other side of the temple from here.” Her answer made them all groan tiredly.

“See! I told you we should have turned left there! If there’s anything I trust then it’s my intuition!” Lance folded his arms.

“If we turned right then we would have found it faster.” Keith put his own intake on this, just as frustrated by the whole thing.

“I want to hear none of it from the both of you!” Pidge growled lightly, “I thought I’d go mad with the constant nagging! Can’t you even agree on what path we should take?”

“Sorry for being considerate Keith.” Lance bit, “I was trying to get us there faster to get you out of the spotlight.”

Keith raised a brow, clearly offended, “You were being considerate? You contradict everything I say!”

“Enough.” Pidge put her hand down, “Could you please take us to the library Shay?”

“Of course.” The girl took pity on the group and began leading the way, “Follow me.” But then she noticed a sweet scent lingering in the air, “There’s something sweet in the air. Are any of you releasing your scents?”

“That would be Keith.” Lance pointed to the said boy, “He’s a disaster right now so we’re trying to stay low.”

“You didn’t help with that at all.” Keith grumbled.

“Geez! Sorry! I was trying to do the better thing but I guess that wasn’t enough.” He leaned closer as he walked next to the pale boy, “Not that your sweetness is helping my cause.”

“It’s not my fault. Deal with it.” Keith fought back, and as the two of them bickered, Pidge decided to turn to Shay instead, “I just want to get away from this heat already. It’s really warm today.”

“Yes, it’s quite warm.” Shay agreed, “But luckily for us, the library is just around here.” Against all odds, their group finally made it to their destination, feeling the cool walls around them shield them from the sun outside. They all sighed in relief, looking over the large amount of books in this beautifully decorated library. This place was massive… Pidge could see herself spending a lot of time in here… A pleased grin spread across her face.

“Sweet! This place is huge! Just perfect for Lancey Lance’s lessons on Egyptian culture and worshippings.” Lance beamed, making his way further inside and picking a random book to see. Wow… This place really was well kept. He couldn’t see a speck of dust anywhere.

“That’s a lot of scrolls.” Keith hummed, staring at the shelves stuffed with written words. He turned to the group, raising a brow, “Does anyone actually know how to read?”

The group shifted, Lance turning to stare at the hanging tapestries. Pidge tucked at her fluff of hair, clicking her tongue, “I can read...in Trojan.”

“I can read a little.” Shay admitted, “But only a little. My suitor is a diplomat, so I only just started learning a bit.”

“So you could help us?” Pidge asked, turning to face the girl with a shine in her eyes, “That’s great!”

“Not much I’m afraid.” Shay shook her head, “I’m still learning myself, so don’t become too hopeful on that front.”

“Either way!” Lance bounced on his heels, grinning at the group, “We can start by filling you two in on Egyptian culture! Which you two need terribly.” He turned to face Shay, “Keith never even heard of a _hippopotamus_ before.”

“Really?” Shay chuckled, holding her hands up to cover her growing smile, “I can’t imagine that. They were the bane of anyone near the water. I nearly lost an uncle on our farms to one once.”

“Oh, definitely.” Lance nodded knowingly, “Apparently that’s how I lost my grandfather, he got too close to one’s calf, and you know how territorial those beasts are.”

“Oh, certainly.” Shay nodded, turning to face Keith and Pidge, “Don’t worry though, we’ll teach you everything you need to know to fit in.”

Pidge and Keith shared a look between them, wondering if this was a terrible mistake or not. Lance didn’t seem to care, skipping over to a set of cushions and throwing himself down in them. He grinned over at them, patting the seats next to him, “Well! Come on!”

Keith groaned, shoulders slumping a bit, padding over towards the cushions, “We might as well go ahead and start then.”

“I wanted to try an-” Pidge started, but Keith cut her off, “Pidge, you can’t read at all. Let’s just get the easy part out of the way first.”

Pidge grumbled, padding after him.

Lance eyed the two suspiciously as they sat down, unapproving of their unmotivated will to learn, “Geez… You asked me to teach you and now you’re seeing it as a chore you have to do? How rude.”

“I know.” Pidge grumbled, “But I didn’t realize it would be like… _this_. I thought the library would at least have some Greek scrolls. There’s Romelle and James, and I saw a couple of other pale skinned Omega as well. You can’t blame me for assuming things.”

“I’m sure there are some Greek scrolls around here.” Shay looked around at the bookshelves, “It may take some time to find them though. They’re not commonly used.”

“Great.” But Pidge continued to show her annoyance.

“Calm down. That’s why you have Lancey Lance here to explain everything. So! You wanted to learn about Taweret first, right?”

“Yeah. That would be a good start.” Keith nodded, leaning into his pillows.

“Alright, so Taweret is a protective goddess of childbirth and fertility. I think it’s obvious as to why she’s attributed to the Omega since everything she stands for the Omega basically are. Taweret is ‘she who is great’ or ‘the great one’. She’s obviously a hippopotamus, with some lion paws, a human’s breasts and has the back of a Nile crocodile. All of those creatures are aquatic by the way, except for the feline parts.”

“Amusing.” Pidge noted sarcastically, “And you only worship her here?”

“I think she’s mainly worshipped in this temple.” Lance hummed, “But she’s more of a household goddess than anything. Mostly she’s prayed to when people want a child, or a good harvest, or if someone is pregnant and wants an easy birth.”

“I think that seems about right, since some villages see an Omega’s slick as a healing remedy.” Pidge stuck out her tongue at the idea, “Ugh, why are your gods so weird? Why is the goddess a mess of animals?”

“At least we’re not the only ones with Greek heritage here.” Keith adds, “This capital has a lot of trade, so it’s no surprise that-”

“There you are!” A sudden voice startled them all, hopping in their seats and turning to spot Romelle who was marching towards them, “I was looking for you three all over! Allura is looking for you!” She came to a stop, leaning her hands against her hips, “I heard all about it. You spying on Allura and her suitor? Extremely rude.”

“Time to fly.” Keith stood, grabbing Lance and Pidge who was protesting that she hadn’t done _any spying_ . It was more instinct than anything when he started running, dragging the two behind him with much protest. Lance was definitely yelping, dragging his feet, and Keith had to pick Pidge up and tuck her under his arm because she _refused_ to move them.

He didn’t get very far, making it as far as the second arched entrance with his two tagalongs before running into another person. The other person yelled, and Keith found himself hitting the harsh stone floor. Lance gave out his own yelp as he fell, and Pidge scowled darkly as her chin hit the floor.

The short lived escape attempt did not get them far at all, and Romelle was on them in an instant, scolding down at them with her hands on her hips, “I cannot believe you would attempt to run from me.”

“In my defence, it was reflex.” Keith muttered, leaning up and rubbing the back of his head, “Guards beat you pretty badly if they thought you did something. It’s better to run if you see one mad.”

Romelle lost her angry look for a moment, a mix of pity and Keith’s still sweet heavy scent leaking from his glands. She sighed, kneeling down and reaching over to help them sit up, “I’m not a guard, and you’re not going to be beaten. But you _are_ in trouble.”

“Oh, great.” Pidge scowled, leaning up and rubbing her chin, “I didn’t do anything.”

“The three of you were seen by the Pharaoh himself.” Romelle tsked, wagging her finger at Pidge, “Don’t try to lie to me.”

“I’m not. I was in my room.” Pidge scolded, turning to glare at the other two, “I refuse to be dragged into trouble for this.”

“Pidge is right, she wasn’t there.” Keith backed up his friend.

“I said no lies.” Romelle scolded, “Now, we’re going to let Allura decide how you three will be punished for your spying.”

“But Romelle, it was an accident.” Lance pushed himself up, rubbing his cheek, “We didn’t _mean_ to spy. It just sort of accidentally happened. We were exploring and found ourselves stuck. You try escaping unnoticed when the Pharaoh is standing in the next room. Impossible.”

Keith side-eyed Lance, marveling at his ability to spew those absolute lies. He, knowing he was _not_ a good liar, decided it would be best to keep his mouth firmly shut. It was close enough to the truth, he guesses, so there was no harm. It’s not like they were trying to kill the guy or something.

“You might have gotten lost but that still doesn’t excuse the fact that you did spy on Allura and the Pharaoh. I’m not blaming you if you really did get lost, _if_ , but I’ll let Allura handle this.”

Romelle pulled on Pidge’s hand, helping her stand up before helping the other two, “You three are the most troublesome newcomers. It must be a sign.”

“Allura apparently thinks so too.” Lance frowned, “But I’d say we’re a blessing rather than a curse.”

“A curse!? Oh no… What do we do?” Romelle seemed a bit more worried now, earning curious looks from the three, “B-But I can’t see the three of you as a curse.” She shook her head and instead prompted to move between them, capturing them all in a large bear hug, “The three of you are the babies of the temple. I just can’t see you in a negative light.”

“Oh god…” Pidge side-eyed Keith, “This must be your scent’s fault.”

“Don’t blame it on me. I did nothing wrong.” Keith returned the glare but then grumbled when Romelle squeezed them all further, “Oh gods! I can’t stay mad at you, nope.”

“Yep, this is definitely Keith’s scent talking.” Lance snorted, “But hey, at least we’re getting out of this.”

“Out? Never.” The blonde girl began dragging them all to where Allura was, unwilling to let her newly claimed children go, “As the babies of the temple, you need to be taught a lesson.”

“Gods! Please help us!”

“I’m not a baby.” Keith frowned deeply, and yet he complied with Romelle’s request. They might as well talk to Allura and get this over with before it escalates into a bigger misunderstanding… well, they were spying on them, he couldn’t lie about that.

“If anything then Pidge is the baby.” Lance prodded, “She presented last.”

“Shut up!” The said girl growled lightly, “Instead of talking crap, maybe you two should start thinking about what you wanna say. I’m innocent in all of this!”

“So am I.” Keith stressed, “It was all your idea Lance.”

“What! Keith! How could you!”

“Aha! So you do admit to it!” Romelle grinned as the four of them made their way into unknown parts of the temple, beautiful hieroglyphics and statues standing proudly all around them, “I knew it.”

“What!? No!” Lance felt utterly betrayed, “Keith!”

“I said nothing.” The pale Omega looked away as they all arrived in front of large double doors. They seemed even more majestic than the rest they’d seen so far, Romelle approaching to knock before she received permission from the inside to enter.

This was it. They were caught.

The door opened to reveal a beautiful bedroom, the largest bed they’d even seen laying right in the middle with a beautiful view of the capital down below. Wow… Now this was a room Lance would like, minus the frowning Allura on the bed, “I see that Romelle finally managed to find you three. I was looking for you all morning before deciding to take a small break.”

“They were in the library.” Romelle informed, “I’m not sure what they were doing though.”

“We were trying to learn about the Egyptian culture.” Pidge folded her arms, “But anyway, before you begin scolding us, I want you to know that I had nothing to do with this. I had no part in this malicious scheme to spy on the Pharaoh.”

“Then I suppose the pale Omega with light brown hair wasn’t you then?” Allura leaned on her hand, “Then who, pray tell, was it?”

“It was that James guy!” Lance had no shame at all selling out the other boy, hands landing on his hips, “Pidge wasn’t even there.”

“I’m sure.” Allura clicked her tongue, “And you are absolutely not trying to get yourselves out of trouble at all.”

“They’ve already lied to me about it once.” Romelle spoke, folding her hands, “If we were back with my tribe…”

“What a shame.” Allura tsked, folding her free arm under her, “I expected better from you, all of you. This is your second day at the temple and already you’re finding trouble. This isn’t the way to make an impression.”

“I did nothing!” Pidge fumed, “I can’t believe I’m being set up like this!”

“Try to deny it all you want, it will do no good.” Allura hummed, leaning back up, “As this is your first misbehaviour, I won’t be too harsh, but I do need to punish you, and I expect better of you in the future.”

“This is injustice.” Pidge cried, crossing her arms, “Injustice of the highest order.”

“Now, I _was_ planning on making you three clear out the toilet houses, but since you’re new and this is your first offence I’ll settle on making you clean out the prayer fountain instead. I expect the statue to be cleaned and the fountain itself to be scrubbed free of any filth. Oh, and you’ll have to attend extra etiquette lessons, just in case we need to reform any past criminal tendencies.”

“Injustice!” Pidge cried one last time, “I’m innocent!”

“Give it up Pidge, we tried.” Keith patted her shoulder.

“Try to look at it positively. It could have been worse.” Lance tried to downplay the severity of the damage.

“Oh trust me, it could have been.” Allura scolded, massaging her temple as she sat in front of them all, “I’ll forgive you for it this one time but I hope that it doesn’t happen again. You’ll see how intrusive it feels when you have meetings with your own suitors.”

They all froze at that, trying to imagine how that would be. Pidge found the idea utterly gross while Keith and Lance wondered what it would feel like. Spending alone time with a person you barely know can’t be any good.

“Which also brings me to my next point.” Allura straightened her upper body, “Tomorrow I’d like to take you to the Pharaoh’s estate where Alpha undergo trials in order to earn an audience with you at the party. I think it would be useful for you to see all they have to do to reach you, and in the end, you’ll come to appreciate their efforts much more.”

“What!?” Lance’s eyes widened in surprise, “You’ll be taking us out of the temple and into the capital?”

“Yes.” Allura nodded, “The temple isn’t a prison, as I said multiple times before. Since the two of you had just arrived into the capital, it would also be a perfect chance for you to learn about your new surroundings. Unfortunately your families haven't arrived yet, but before they do you’ll be able to see their new residence.”

“Oh gods, I don’t want to go out into that scorching heat again.” Pidge frowned, “I’ve already seen enough of the capital.”

“This time it’ll be different.” Romelle noted, “The world around you may have been a certain way before you presented, but now people will see you in a complete new light. It would be good for you to see that for yourself as well.”

The three newbies shared a look between them, “What do you mean?” And Lance was the one to ask for them all.

“Simple. As Omega you’ve now become the vessels of Taweret, and as such you will be respected by the rest of the people. As to not cause too much of an uproar we’ll be using a cart to get to the Pharaoh and back. The Pharaoh will be there as well so we’ll make sure you dress nicely for the occasion. Actually, this was his idea altogether so it would be nice if you could show a bit of gratitude.”

Oh… Keith could go along with that. They did owe it to the Pharaoh and Allura so joining them on this trip to the estate shouldn’t be as bad. Although he did have this one curious question, “But why would this help us?”

“You’ll be exposed to courting in the near future, but before that happens I think it would be a good idea for you to see all the hardships these Alpha go through. Not to mention that you’ll get to see the capital as well.”

“Great.” Pidge rolled her eyes, annoyed that she found herself in yet another dilemma.

“Sooo… does that mean that we don’t have to clean the worshipping fountain? We have to prepare for tomorrow and all.” Lance tried, but received a knowing look for it.

“Nice try Lance. After finishing your duties Romelle will help you to the baths so that you can wash yourselves. After that you may choose to go to dinner or retreat back to your rooms, but whatever you do, I want you to meet me at the front entrance as soon as the sun rises. Tomorrow will be a busy day. What better way to learn then to go out and see the world yourselves?”

“I already saw it.” Pidge reminded.

“Not in the same way you’re about to see it tomorrow.” Allura fought back, leaning her head against her hand, “Now then, I’ll have you begin your task of-” She paused, sniffing the air before her eyes widened, flying over to Keith, “Why is your scent so strong Keith?”

The said pale Omega flinched, “Oh… yeah, about that. I may have a problem.”

Pidge grinned at the reminder, scooting over to Keith before pulling him closer, “Keith’s sweetness is running loose. I’m sorry Allura, but I don’t think we can go with Keith smelling all sweet like this. The Alpha will jump on him.”

Allura’s expression suddenly changed into that of concern, “A month has already passed since you presented. It could be that your body is developing your sweet talking ability. When did this begin?”

“Yesterday afternoon.” Keith frowned, “I’ve been smelling like this ever since.”

“I see…” Allura stood up with her staff in hand, walking closer to get a better whiff of the scent, “It should cease soon then. However, if that isn’t the case then we’ll have to cancel the trip.” And that made her lower her head, her plans inevitably ruined.

Lance took pity on her, placing his hand on her shoulder, “Don’t worry Allura, I’m sure Keith will stop smelling like pure sugar in an hour or something.”

“It’s not my fault.” The ravenette decided to remind everyone.

“Nobody is saying it is.” And Lance agreed, “But, yes, I’m sure it’ll go away in a bit.”

“Hopefully.” The Omega priestess sighed, walking back to her bed before seating herself on the edge, “Now then, get to work.” She clapped her hands, “The fountain of prayers is in need of some cleaning.”

“W-Would it help if we say that we’re really sorry? Because we’re really sorry about all this.” Lance tried but with not much luck.

“I accept your apology.” Allura smiled, “But I’ll still have to punish you, such are the rules. Now _shoo! shoo!_ Go on, get to cleaning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MsBluebell: Did you guys have a good Christmas? I had a good Christmas. I hope you guys had a good Christmas. XD
> 
> BlueStarPaladin: I hope you like the new chapter. We haven't really agreed on a schedule yet but we'll let you know in our next update.
> 
> Chapter Betaed by the wonderful SilviaMoon.
> 
> Tumblr:  
> MsBluebell: [msbluebell](http://msbluebell.tumblr.com/)  
> BlueStarPaladin: [starellas](https://starellas.tumblr.com/)


	3. Wolf in the Desert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catching them in the act of spying, Lotor invites Keith, Lance, and Pidge to his estate. The three newbies are formally introduced to the pharaoh and then go to observe the potential Alpha suitors that are undertaking trials for the privilege of courting an Omega within the temple.
> 
> Keith, Lance, and Pidge continue struggling to find their place within the temple, only for an unexpected guest to come in and interrupt. Or... multiple unexpected guests.

Cleaning the fountain turned out to be a task that took most of the day. It was tiring and difficult work, performed while being supervised under Romelle’s watchful eyes, who sat back and watched from the edge of the fountain wall the entire time. Not helping was the fact that they had to do the entire thing by themselves, crawling over the statue and scrubbing with nothing but their own balance and agility to help.

Pidge spent the entire time glaring at them, grumbling about injustice and how they were the _worst_ friends she could have asked for. To which the two boys could only sheepishly shrug and try to scrub at the limestone fountain harder to rid it of the muck.

After hours of work, they were finally done, but they weren’t even given a chance for a break, before being forced towards the baths and scrubbed down. This, in of itself, wouldn't have been a problem if they weren’t being prepared for a trip to the pharaoh himself, and thus were ordered to be put under a special washing procedure that had a lot of other, more experienced, Omegas pawing at them. The three soon found themselves not only washed down, but fully groomed as well; nails cut and evened out, hair trimmed, and their skin lotioned over and over again, and rewashed.

Lance and Keith both had their calluses scrubbed at for what felt like hours, the other Omega holding them as their hands and feet were scoured with the stone, dead and hardened skin falling away as their feet were scrubbed at, lotioned, and scrubbed and lotioned again.

By the end of it they were all pinkish from the abuse, and even Lance was patting his feet against the stone, flicking his fingers over and over as he tried to get used to his new softness. Pidge rubbed at her freshly plucked eyebrows, trying to get used to the lack of hair between her eyes. Keith rubbed his legs together, not used to the hairlessness that came with being shaved.

Now all washed and groomed, the three Omega were finally allowed to be set free by their caretakers. They debated on whether they should go to dinner, and while Lance and Keith could pass, Pidge was getting a bit hungry. In the end, they decided to eat before hitting the bed.

“Oh gods, Keith! Look!” Lance reached for Keith’s hand, squeezing it with his newfound softness, “Do you feel how soft that is?”

“Yeah, I feel it.” The ravenette felt his own skin cushion the touch, so incredibly soft that it felt foreign to him. It almost felt like his body wasn’t his at all. This will definitely take time getting used to.

“You’re both exaggerating.” Pidge, ever the pessimist, rolled her eyes, “All they did was wash and lotion you up. Add a little hair trimming and that’s it.”

“That’s it? Pidge! I feel like a new person!” Lance waved his hands up in the air, feeling the cooling winds brush against his now soft skin, “I never felt so good in my entire life. This is like a dream come true.” His eyes sparkled in delight, tracing his hands over different parts of his skin, “And I love what they did to my hair. I wasn’t going to admit it but… I did cut it with a knife back home.”

“I knew it.” Keith huffed, smirking at the revelation, “I could tell right away.”

“Yeah, right.” The brunette huffed, “Because you’re such a hair expert, clearly you have the taste.” Blue eyes flew to the monstrosity that was Keith hair, although he had to admit that now it looked a bit better. Trimmed and styled by the Omega caretakers back at the baths.

“You don’t wanna go there Lance.” Keith warned, touching the black locks, “It feels weird but I like the trim. Although my legs feel really strange… I don’t like it.”

“Gods… Let’s just go eat and then get back to our rooms. Tomorrow we’ll be overseeing these trials Alpha go through, and I don’t know about you guys, but I’ll need a good night’s sleep for this one.”

“Yeah, I second that.” Lance sighed, “I bet this is a part of our punishment.”

“Not really.” Keith folded his arms as they walked, “But if we didn’t sneak up on them, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Says you.” Lance shot back, “But in favour of making this easier on myself, I’ll look at the positives.” He took in a deep breath, “We’ll get to meet the pharaoh and maybe we’ll find some cute suitors. We can get a head start.”

“You’ll be meeting the pharaoh.” Pidge pointed out, “The guy that’s in charge of your entire country.”

Lance’s optimism slowly began to crumble in weight of it all, “Oh gods… What do we do?” And he found himself in panic mode once again.

“Lance, I don’t want to end up scenting again.” Keith sniffed, turning to face the boy, “Don’t panic, he’s probably not going to do anything.”

“What do you mean ‘probably’?” Lance wheezed, clutching at his chest and grabbing onto the other boy’s shoulder. His scent spiked suddenly, taking on an edge of panic, “Oh no, oh by Horus, oh no. I think I’m going to collapse.”

“Oh, wow.” Pidge waved her hand in front of her nose, wrinkling it again, “Lance, you need to calm down. Keith didn’t mean anything by that. The pharaoh is supposed to be nice or something, we’ll be fine.”

“We spied on him Pidge, we’re doomed.” Lance wheezed again, sinking into the dining table, “He’s going to freeze us and send us down the Nile.”

“He’s not going to freeze us.” Keith reassured, pushing a plate close to Lance, “Have some more of this snake.”

“I can’t eat snake like this.” Lance leaned against the table, resting his elbows on it, “We’re going before the pharaoh. He’s going to send us to our deaths without anything to present Osiris in the afterlife and Anubis is going to eat us.”

Pidge rubbed her forehead, muttering to herself as she turned back to her food and started eating again, deciding that trying to calm Lance down simply wasn’t worth it right now. This left Keith as the sole provider of comfort, that the group knew anyway, there were plenty of those who were starting to glance over and edge towards them a bit. Keith glared them off though, making sure that the others knew that their efforts wouldn’t be welcomed or appreciated. The last thing they needed were a bunch of strangers coming in to butt into their business. His glare seemed to work, making those who inched towards them slink away.

Good, let a wall build between them and the rest. The other Omega had to _earn_ a right to them, and trying to come in while Keith was calming Lance down wasn’t going to be the way to do it.

“Lance, he seemed to think we were a good omen when we were spying on him.” Keith reassured the boy, rubbing his back, “He probably just wants to meet us and see this ‘good omen’ himself.”

“But you don’t know that. What if he’s mad at us?” The tan boy tapped his fingers against the wooden table, “For all we know he might have invited us over to punish us, or if we’re lucky we might get scolded. Either way it’ll end bad for us.”

“That’s not true.” Keith frowned, “You’re exaggerating. What if he just wants to meet us? He was talking about us with Allura so I can see him being curious about the newcomers.”

“Keith, the pharaoh speaks for the gods.” Lance stressed, “His will is absolute. Whatever he says goes.”

“And you’re an Omega now Lance.” Keith gently reminded, “He won’t be able to touch you now. You have as much power as he does, granted he’s higher than us… I think, but that still doesn’t give him the right to punish us in any sort of way.”

That seemed to have an effect as Lance lowered his gaze, thinking about everything Keith said, “You have a point I guess.” He bit his lip, nervously chewing on it, “But what if he ends up punishing us instead?”

“Then I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.” Keith said firmly, taking a piece of meat to munch on, “Don’t worry Lance, we’re in this together. You said it yourself, we’re a good team.”

Blue eyes slowly looked up, a small smile fighting it’s way onto Lance’s face, “Yeah, you’re right. We’re a team.” He seemed content enough that he took a piece of his own food to eat, chewing on it while thinking about what Keith said, “I’m really glad you’re not smelling like cakes anymore. I can finally breathe normally around you.”

“Wasn’t my fault, if anything it was because of you.” Keith fought back, taking another piece of his food, “I had to calm you somehow.”

“You could have-” Lance tried to think of something to say but couldn’t think of anything to return the fire. Instead he settled on munching on more of the delicious beef he managed to gather on his plate “It’s not my fault either. It just happens.”

“That’s fine.” Keith hummed, a bit awkward on his approach, “I don’t know much about the pharaoh so it makes sense that you’d be this excited about it.”

“I guess.” Lance frowned, his panicked scent weakening and returning back to normal, “If only you knew, I bet you’d be even worse than me, running around your room while trying to think of what to do. Not that I do those things by the way!” He picked up a goblet to wash down the food, feeling the coolness of the liquid cool him down from within.

He place the goblet back down, focusing on his food, “But thanks for trying to comfort me. I appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem. We’re a team, we look out for each other.” Keith waved his hand, using the other to rip off a bite of cooked snake with his teeth.

“Speaking of looking out for each other…” Pidge trailed off, spine straightening up as she suddenly went on high alert. “James coming in from the right entrance way.”

“Oh no, not that guy.” Lance groaned, “Keith, hide under the table or something.”

Keith looked between the two, surprised at his friend’s reaction, “What? Why? I thought we all liked James? He’s been really nice.”

“Well, _I_ hate him because I got into trouble for something he did and he escaped.” Pidge answered before turning towards Lance with a raised brow, “Why don’t you like him Lance?”

Lance frowned, poking at his food, “I don’t know, I can’t explain it. I just get a weird feeling from that guy. Like...like he’s planning something.”

“What do you mean?” Keith asked, astonished, placing down his half eaten smoked snake, “I didn’t get any weird vibes.”

“You, explain Lance.” Pidge leaned over, staring at him.

“It’s something you have to see.” Lance bit at his lip, looking directly at Pidge. “You’ll see when he comes over. I might just be me, but…”

He cut himself off, spotting James walking over towards them, eyes locked on Keith. There were other seats open around them, but he seemed to have decided right away that he’d take one of the open seats between their group, the one next to Keith by the looks of it. Lance sent a quick look to Pidge, who went quiet as she watched the Greek approach.

“Hello Keith.” James greeted, taking the seat next to the raven haired boy just as Lance predicted, “I’m glad to have finally found you. I wanted to check up on you this morning but you were already gone. It’s good to see that your scent faded.”

Keith blinked at him, like he was somehow still surprised that someone would be concerned for his health like this. He smiled though, nodding as he answered, “Oh, yeah, it faded just like you said.”

“That’s good.” James nodded, taking a plate for himself, “I looked for you at lessons today, but I heard you were stuck cleaning the prayer fountain?”

“Yeah, Allura caught us and then decided that it would be the best punishment for spying on her and the pharaoh.” Keith frowned, looking over at his two companions, only to notice their curious looks. He raised a brow, baffled as to why they were so quiet.

Pidge took pity on him though, “Maybe it wouldn’t have happened if somebody confessed to her about it.” She narrowed her eyes, staring intensely at the pale boy, “That would have certainly saved us the trouble, sweat and tears that went into cleaning it.”

“And blood.” Lance added, “I slipped while cleaning the side.”

James blinked, eyes drifting from Pidge to Lance, and then finally back to Keith, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause trouble. I-I should have went and apologised. Sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” Keith was quick to comfort him, and it was then that Lance’s blue eyes moved onto Pidge to warn her, both of their gazes settling onto the two, “It’s not like you were the only culprit. Lance and I were just as much a part of it as you.”

“Don’t blame me for it.” The tanned Omega defended, “How was I supposed to know Allura would be able to smell us from that distance?”

“Uhh… I don’t know, maybe because Omega have sharp noses?” Keith frowned, “It was a bad idea to spy on them in the first place.”

“I was curious!” Lance defended himself, slumping down against the table while James smiled, placing a hand on Keith’s shoulder, “But I’m genuinely sorry Keith. I’ll take immediate action the next time this happens.”

“You don’t have to.” The ravenette took another bite of his snake, “We were all there. You’re not the only one to blame for it.”

“But it’s okay if the innocent party gets punished for it?” Pidge narrowed her eyes further, “You should have been the one cleaning that fountain, not me.”

“Oh, um, y-yeah. I’m very sorry about that.” James raised a hand to rub his shoulder, “I’ll make it up to you somehow.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that I have a stain on my record now.” Pidge remarked bitterly, staring at the man. “It’s going to take a lot to make up for this. I’m talking about a lot of labor, and hours in the library. I spent all day at that fountain when I was supposed to be learning things.”

James grimaced. The boy looked reluctant, but he spared a glance at Keith, just for a second, before his gaze leveled and became more certain, “Alright. I’ll help you out in the library. I can teach you to read.” He turned to Keith now, “I can teach all of you to read.”

Lance frowned, staring at James a bit. He shared a look with Pidge, hoping he wasn’t the only one that got that. Pidge was staring too, a brow raised at the Greek brunette. She glanced at him, that brow still raised. She turned back to him, straightening her face, “That would be great James! It’ll be much easier to pursue knowledge that way.”

Keith perked up at that, “Yeah, that would help out Pidge a lot, and I always wanted to learn.” The raven haired boy turned to Lance, “I’m sure Lance would like that too. It would open a lot of doors for us.”

Violet eyes sparkled at Lance, like this was all some kind of exciting bonding opportunity for them. He was so happy that Lance, who never really put much thought into learning to read, found himself nodding along anyway. Keith practically beamed at him when he did, turning back towards James with all the excitement of a child with a new toy, “We could learn all sorts of things. And it would be helpful with learning art. And…”

Pidge leaned forward, scratching her chin, “We should really start going to classes soon. Obviously not tomorrow, but soon.”

“Yeah.” Lance agreed, “You guys interrupted just as we were having a lesson on Omega fashion. I didn’t appreciate that.”

“Oh god… That was the worst lesson I ever had in my entire life. How can you talk about simple cloth for hours? I don’t get it.” Pidge stuck out her tongue, unwilling to have a repeat of that class ever again, “Instead I’d like to talk more about biology and the rights we have. For one, I’d be curious what power we have over the pharaoh.”

“A lot more than the common folk that’s for sure.” James informed, “For one, you’re allowed to reject anything you don’t feel comfortable with. If he asks you to sit on his lap, for example, then you have the right to reject that. Not that he’d do that to anyone but Allura.”

“They’re that close?” Keith hummed, taking another bite of his food.

“They’re inseparable. The truth is that the pharaoh used to have a harem of Omega within the temple, but when he met Allura and they slowly got to know each other, that harem dispersed. He has eyes for nobody else but Allura.” There was a tint of respect within James’ eyes, “I think it’s admirable of an Alpha such as himself. True devotion is what I’m aiming for as well.”

“I can’t believe the pharaoh used to have a harem.” Lance let his jaw drop, “Is that even allowed?”

“It is, as long as you’re the pharaoh.” James shrugged.

“Don’t worry James, I’m sure you’ll find yourself an Alpha like that. All devoted to you and stuff.” Pidge didn’t find the idea appealing but she did want to see the guy’s reaction, noting the slight furrowing of his brows at her remark.

“Well… Actually, I’d like to be the one devoted to my mate like that. All doting and protective…” The guy leaned his hands against the table, his shoulders tensing a bit, “I think it’s an admirable thing to do, especially with the one you’re in love it.”

Lance sneakily nudged Pidge’s legs under the table, earning him a narrowed glare. He stopped but the message was received nevertheless, “So… You want to be a power bottom?” Lance asked curiously, pushing the guy further.

James seemed a bit hesitant at first but then spoke, “I-I don’t want that either. I just… You’ll think it’s dumb.”

“I’m sure it won’t be.” Keith comforted, “We won’t laugh at you or anything, I promise.”

The fellow Greek Omega lowered his gaze, biting at his bottom lip as his eyes met violet ones. He saw honesty within them, but he didn’t think that he could return that at this moment, “Forget it. It’s nothing important.”

“James, if you have something you want to say then say it.” Keith encouraged further, “We won’t judge you or anything.”

“N-No, it’s fine.” James raised his hands up in the air, looking away, “O-Oh! L-Look at the time! I need to wake up early for… c-cleaning! Yeah! I’ll make it up to Allura for missing on my punishment. I’ll tell her it was me.” James slowly slid off his chair, turning to leave the group, “I’ll see you later Keith!” And with that the boy beelined out of the dining room, determined to get out of that sticky situation.

The three newbies watched him go with curious eyes, blinking as James for disappeared behind the wall, “What’s up with him?” Pidge grumbled, “Was it something we said?”

“I don’t know.” Keith lowered his head worriedly, “Maybe I should check up on him after dinner.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it Keith.” Lance patted his shoulder, “It wasn’t your fault.” But the idea of Keith going to that guy’s room alone wasn’t comforting at all, “I can go with you if you want. We’ll both check on him.”

“Thanks Lance.” The ravenette sighed, turning back to face his food, “Are you sure I didn’t say anything I shouldn’t have?” He didn’t have experience with these situations so something like this was outright puzzling for him.

“It’s not your fault, really. Don’t worry about it Keith.” Lance assured, rubbing Keith’s back before turning to Pidge, “James is a weird guy. He even gave Keith _welcome_ flowers the day before.”

“ _Welcome_ flowers?” The girl perked up, her eyes widening, “What the heck?”

“I know!” Lance wanted to say more but held back in favour of comforting Keith, “It’s weird.”

“Why is that weird?” Keith blinked, “If anything, I liked the flowers.”

“Oh my god… You’re even worse Keith!” Pidge slapped her forehead, massaging her temples, “What the fuck? Like, okay, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt but I’m pretty sure I know what’s going on. It’s weird though.”

“What is?” Keith’s frown deepened.

“Well… We didn’t get any _welcome_ flowers Keith.” Lance pointed out, “Only you did.”

“So?”

“So!? That guy might be trying to get into your tunic Keith.” Pidge let it out of the bag, “I’m not saying it’s true, but the signs are there.”

Both Lance and Keith froze for a minute, blue eyes drifting over to Keith to gauge his reaction. He was surprised at first, but then his face returned to his normal expression, “You’re talking crap Pidge. He’s an Omega and I’m an Omega. That’s not how it works.”

“I know.” The girl shrugged, “I’m just saying that this is weird and all.”

“No, it’s not.” Keith bit back, his brows furrowing, “What are you two trying to say? That I shouldn’t be friends with James?”

“That’s not it.” Lance defended, “We just think you should be careful when you’re around him. He seems to have an agenda when he’s around you and we, as your friends, want to protect you from it.”

“Hidden agenda? How is giving someone flowers offensive? Or suspicious?” Keith’s brows furrowed further, his eyes gaining a tint of frustration within them, “I’m finally doing something I never did before, meeting and befriending new people.” Keith stood up, his food long forgotten, “If you’re picking on James just because he gave me flowers then you’re the ones who are wrong here. I’m done.” The pale boy stood up, sliding out of his chair to make his way out of the dining room.

“Keith! Wait!” Lance called after him but Keith didn’t listen, turning the corner and disappearing from their view. Pidge and Lance both looked at each other worriedly, guilty for driving Keith away like this, “We need to go after him.” Lance made a move to stand up but was stopped when Pidge pulled on his sleeve.

“Don’t, give him some time alone.” She sighed, “We’ll go see him after dinner. It’ll give him some time to cool his head.”

Lance hesitated, biting his lip as he sat down. Maybe they pushed Keith too far… What if they were really wrong about all this? Omega would never date another Omega, it was absurd. Maybe… Maybe they were wrong about James?

“What if I misunderstood? What if James isn’t like that?” He looked up at Pidge, her gaze just as worrying.

“I don’t think you did. I could see it as well.” She shrugged, picking a piece of potato to eat it, “That guy is definitely up to something. I just can’t put my finger on it.” She munched on her food, thinking of what it could possibly be, “Do you think he’s trying to gather blackmail? Maybe talk Keith into doing something? He could have noticed Keith’s… awkwardness. What if he’s taking advantage of it?”

“I won’t let him do that.” Lance grumbled, “Keith is a nice guy. He doesn’t deserve any more bad luck befalling him.”

“Yeah.” Pidge agreed, nodding, “We’ll keep an eye on James, you and me. But we’ll also apologise to Keith. You think he’s done with his dinner?”

“Not sure.” Lance sighed, munching on his own food, “I don’t think he’ll have the appetite though.”

“Maybe.” The girl mumbled, focusing on finishing her food so that they could both go.

They finished their food quickly after that, the mood soured too much for conversation. They cleaned their plates and left without much fanfare, slipping past other Omega, all of whom suddenly seemed to want to stop and greet them. Pidge, luckily enough, worked as a good excuse to leave the conversations quickly and slip away, not at all deterred by the disappointment the other Omega expressed; unlike Lance would have if he were alone.

They didn’t bother going anywhere but back to their rooms for the night, too tired from the day’s hard labor and too demoralized by Keith’s swift exit. They shared a look, briefly debating if Keith had enough time to calm down before Lance made the decision for them and approached the door.

“Keith?” Lance knocked against the wall, peeking his head inside the room, “Are you okay?”

Keith was there, as predicted, not having had the time to find hide holes within the temple yet, though Lance suspected next time he was mad at them he’d have some ready to disappear to. For now, though, he was curled up on his window, a single leg hanging off the rail, the vase of blowers clutched in his hands, fingers trailing over the soft petals. His face was soft as he stared at them, lovingly caressing the gentle plants. He jerked up, scowling when her heard Lance’s voice, turning his head to glare out the window, “Did you come to mock my flowers?”

“Keith? What? No.” Lance slid all the way into the room, “We weren’t mocking you Keith.”

Pidge slid in after him, her tuft of hair bouncing as she made her way inside, “Keith, we’re just worried, that’s all. This…” She waved her hand at the flowers, “...isn’t normal. I was just trying to figure out what it is.”

“So James is a little strange.” Keith turned to look back at them, scolding, “That doesn’t mean he’s up to something. He’s been nothing but nice to us since we got here.”

Lance felt that, in this moment, it wouldn’t be helpful to point out that James had mostly been nice to them as an extension of being nice to _Keith himself_ and not so much for them. He kept silent about that, deciding that it was more important to get Keith to understand that they weren’t _insulting_ James for being weird, but were just looking out for their friend. “Keith, we’re not saying he hasn’t been nice. We’re just...you’re our friend and we’re worried. And we’re sorry we upset you.”

Keith didn’t seem any less upset, if anything he seemed worse. He set down his plants, staring at them for a moment before shaking his head, “No, forget it. It’s fine, I forgive you guys.”

“You still look upset.” Pidge frowned.

“I’m not.” Keith shook his head, crossing his arms defensively and slumping back against the railing, slinking in on himself like he was trying to shield himself from the entire world.

“You are.” Lance stepped forward until he was close to Keith, reaching out to place a hand on the pale boy’s shoulder. Keith really must have been touch starved, because he jumped, eyes widening a bit. Lance focused on his task though, “We didn’t mean to insult your friend.”

Keith bit his lip.

“Keith, can you say something?” Lance squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, “We won’t judge you, I swear.”

Keith squirmed under him, his scent becoming distressed, “I think you already have.”

“What?” Lance frowned, throwing a long look back to Pidge, who shrugged. He turned back to face Keith, still confused, “What do you mean Keith?”

“This is weird.” Keith squirmed, “Becoming Omega is weird. I didn’t want anything before, but now everything is strange.”

“That’s just the hormones setting in, Keith.” Pidge stepped up beside Lance, wrinkling her nose, looking like she finally realized what was going on, “They’re finally settling in. It’s going to be confusing, and you’re going to be emotional, and you’re going to start being attracted to people for more than just general prettiness.”

“Hey, I was attracted to plenty of people before this!” Lance stated.

“Yeah, but did you go further than kissing people and thinking of starting a family?” Pidge raised a brow, “No, because you hadn’t even presented yet. We’re going through a change, and our bodies are going to be weird and make us notice things. Like who has nice butts. Keith’s confused because those feelings are high right now. He’s had a month lead on us.”

“I hate this.” Keith growled, huddling in on himself. “I liked it better when I ignored everyone. Or that time I kissed Jen and decided I didn’t like it.”

“Yeah, I hear this is rough buddy.” Pidge patted his knee, “Good luck, you’re going to be confused and emotional for a while.”

“Don’t forget that we’ll go through this too Pidge.” Lance gently reminded, “We don’t have long until we start smelling like cakes. Then after that, we’ll all be into butts.”

Keith snorted at that, a small smile appearing on his face, “I’m not into butts.”

“Well, according to Pidge you are.” Lance teased, leaning his hands against his hips, “And who knows? Maybe you’ll find a suitor you fancy tomorrow? Maybe it’s good that this is happening to you right now.”

The pale boy’s smile fell at that, “I guess…”

Pidge nudged Lance to the side, not pleased by the loss of progress, “You might see someone or you might not. Remember Keith, you were the one who told me that we have the power to reject anyone we want. Then again, as Lance said, you might see someone you like.”

Keith looked at them both, confused by the sudden turn this conversation was taking, “We were talking about my hormones, not suitors.”

“Right, sorry.” Lance picked himself back up, “The point is that you’re not yourself right now Keith. It’s okay if you get mood swings or anything like that. Presenting is like the beginning of puberty and those two don’t mix well. My Mama was a witness to that when my brother Luis presented. He changed completely and suddenly he was a total playboy. He was a pessimist before he presented but after that he changed completely. It’s like he’s not the same person.”

“That doesn’t sound good.” Keith clenched his hand, “Are you saying that I might drastically change?”

“Of course not.” Pidge shook her head, “Lance’s brother is a nuthead, just like him. Maybe it’s in the blood?”

“Hey! We’re a lively family is all!” The brunette grumbled, folding his arms in front of his chest.

“Anyway, how you change after you present varies from person to person. We can’t do anything about it so all that’s left to do is roll with it. Heck, even Lance and I will like butts in about a month.” She paused, thinking about her own words, “Oh god…”

“It won’t be that bad.” The tanned Omega tried to be optimistic, “For one, I’d be curious to see which cake I smell like.”

“What did I smell like?” Keith asked curiously.

“You were definitely a banana cake.” Lance hummed, “My mum baked it on special occasions and it was heavenly. Yep, definitely a banana.”

“Banana…” Keith lowered his gaze, thinking hard about the item Lance compared his scent to. Lance on the other hand blinked, surprised to see that Keith would think this much into it.

“But that aside, we’re trying to look out for you Keith. I’m sorry if we seemed to be breaking you and James apart because of it. We didn’t intend to do that.” Lance placed his hand on Keith’s shoulder again, the other lightly flinching, “We didn’t mean to make you mad and we’re sorry.”

“Now I’m more concerned about the fact you could get your hands on bananas.” Keith wrinkled his nose before turning to face Pidge, “What’s a banana?”

“It’s a fruit.” Pidge waved, “It grows near land. Kind of more into the south.”

“Don’t change the subject!” Lance demanded, hands on his hips, just the way his Mama used to have, “Keith, we’re trying to apologise to you about making you feel uncomfortable. We’re not saying that James is bad, we’re just...trying to look out for you, and we probably took it too far.”

“It’s fine.” Keith shifted, pulling his leg back inside, settling himself on the still and fully facing them now, “I’m not...mad...anymore. I just...I don’t have many friends, it’s just you guys, and I think James too. And I don’t...so he’s kind of strange, but I don’t think...I’m just…” Keith pulled at his hair, “I just don’t want to lose anyone so fast just because they may be a little different.”

Pidge frowned, “Keith, we weren’t saying that being weird was a _bad_ thing.”

Keith peeked up at them from beneath his lashes, “And what would you say if James really _was_ trying to woo me? Not that he is, but what would you do if it was true?”

Lance and Pidge both remained very, very, quiet for a moment. Keith deflated, sinking in on himself. He twisted to look out the window again, biting his lip, “Not that I would consider it.”

“Keith…” Pidge squeezed his knee, “Women...we’re not supposed to be able to learn to read. Or do math...or...anything. So I’m not...I’m not exactly allowed to judge anyone.”

Pidge elbowed Lance, sending him a _look_ , flickering her eyes between him and Keith. She gestured with her head, trying to coax him into saying _something_. But Lance isn’t entirely reading the situation, he thinks, because he’s obviously missing out on something. Still, Pidge is looking at him expectantly, so he scratches the back of his head and speaks, “Um, yeeeeeaaah. It’s fine. Pidge is weird too, and you’re Greek so I already thought you were both weird.”

Keith sighed, leaning his back against the wall, “Yeah, I guess we’re all weird then.”

“But isn’t that a good thing? Being with the crowd is boring anyway so I’d say we’re special.” Pidge patted his knee again, assuring him in her own way that everything would be fine, “The main problem right now are our hormones. When they calm down, all this craziness will too.” She threw Lance a look of disapproval, having expected much more of him.

“What?” The brunette raised a brow while Pidge rolled her eyes.

“All this drama aside, are you sure you’re okay Keith? I think it would be best if we went to sleep now. Tomorrow we’re going to meet the pharaoh, _hooray_.” Her tone was sarcastic, dreading the thought of going out in the terrible heat of the day.

“I’m fine.” Keith cracked a smile, eyes meeting his two companions, “Just a bit tired.”

“Yeah, I could use my nest right about now as well.” Lance yawned, stretching out his arms, “I plan to wake up early so that I can do my eyeliner. You guys have no idea what you’re missing out on.”

“Sure.” Pidge yawned as well, keeping up the momentum, “I’m glad you’re okay Keith. Sleep tight and we’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay.” The pale Omega stood up, watching as his two companions slowly made their way out of his room, “Night!”

“Night.” Keith said back as both Lance and Pidge disappeared, heading to their own bedrooms. Now Keith found himself alone, with nothing but the flowers and the moon as his companions. He spared one more glance at the two before deciding that retreating back to his nest was the best thing he could do right now.

He crawled under the sheets, purring when he found himself in the protective fortress of his nest. His eyes were heavy as he closed them, a bit nervous about what tomorrow would bring. He wasn’t sure how he felt about seeing suitors for the first time, which was strange to think because Lance seemed to the most focused on meeting the pharaoh. Keith told himself that he can’t be that bad, and anyway, from everything he heard and saw, the guy was completely set on Allura.

Then he thought about James and the argument he had with both Lance and Pidge. He understands that they had his best interest in mind but… he really doesn’t think there’s anything weird with either himself or James.

Since when did flowers become a sign of ill omen? Maybe it was just hard for them to see that they were given out of goodwill? Whatever the case may be, Keith found himself closing his eyes, listening to the quiet chatter outside as he let sleep overtake him.

* * *

The morning came with a sudden burst of awareness when a cowbell was rung just outside his nest. Keith jumped, on his feet in a moment, growling threateningly and sizing himself up defensively.

Romelle stood there, cowbell in hand, looking very pleased with herself. She crossed her arms, “Good, you’re awake! Hurry up! I brought your clothing and jewelry.” She gestured towards the fine set of linen and the multitude of jewels. “Get ready, we need to make sure you’re lotioned and your makeup is ready.”

“Wait, wha-” Keith wasn’t given time to protest before he was suddenly rounded on by Romelle’s party of workers, each twittering over his hair, or his skin. Despite the washing they went through the night before, the group clucked disapprovingly, picking at his nails and pulling at his hair. He found himself herded out the room, the group pushing him along as they sized his clothes.

“It’s not even sunrise yet.” Keith moaned as he was pushed forward. They ignored him, one talking a comb to his hair as they walked, already reading him for the day ahead. It was a bit overwhelming, and he was very much overstimulated right now, with so many people and too much attention on him at once. He jerked his arms away, pushing them off, but they still herded him.

He distantly heard a cowbell ringing again, this time followed by Lance’s surprised yelp. He didn’t have time to feel pity for his fellow Omega, busy dealing with lotions and combs himself as they lead him towards the wash rooms.

He wasn’t given a bath, thankfully, but they did strip him and rub that special lotion that matched his scent all over him. He growled, trying to fight them off, but he couldn’t exactly be aggressive with them, and he was already in trouble, so he had no choice but to let them prep him for their trip to the palace.

By the time they were done the sun had already risen, and he was dressed in that red Egyptian style linen and covered with sparkling golden jewelry, red eyeshadow covering his eyelids, and long intricate curved lines running from his eyelashes.

“You look stunning!” Romelle happily chirped as she circled him, her eyes beaming in approval all around, “Oh Ra! You’re the pure definition of an Omega now! The suitors will be all over you, just you wait and see.”

“Uhhh… Thanks?” Keith was unsure if he’d like that, but looking down at his clothing, he did like the lightweight feel of it. It didn’t feel as heavy to the clothes he was used to wearing, which was good considering that he was in a desert right now. Although he had to sacrifice a bit of his privacy for it, the linen made in such a way that it allowed for him to show off all of his Omega curves as well as the soft looking skin.

“Oh my god! I love it!” He heard Lance’s voice nearby, peeking around the corner to see his fellow Omega dressed in a similar fashion, only with blue styled linen and blue eyeshadow that covered his eyelids. Somehow they also managed to make Lance’s lashes even longer, which was a puzzling thought for Keith, “Keith! Look!” Lance called happily, showing off his new clothing, “What do you think?”

“They look nice on you Lance.” Keith smiled, eyes resting on Lance’s own curved lips. The tanned Omega seemed to be genuinely enjoying this and Keith wasn’t about to be the one to break this joy. That was Pidge’s job.

“This is hideous.” The Greek girl emerged from her own corner, wearing similar clothes to theirs but only in a green colour, “I’m about to murder someone.”

Lance and Keith both shivered at those words. Why? Because Pidge nearly did manage to murder Romelle when she came to wake her up. They didn’t know how Romelle and her assistants managed to do it, but somehow they subdued the beast that was morning Pidge.

“You’re all stunning.” Romelle’s voice sounded, her eyes sparkling in pure delight. Three caretakers approached her, each carrying a large box in front of them as they did. The newbies all looked at them curiously, confused as Romelle began approaching Keith, one of the caretakers following her, “And now for the finishing touch.”

Romelle opened one of the boxes, revealing a beautiful golden necklace that was within. Keith and Lance both stared at it in awe, because damn, this necklace alone was enough to feed both of their families for five years.

“May I?” Romelle asked before Keith nodded, proceeding to help him put on the necklace, “This may look like a necklace but it’s actually a protective collar. It’s meant to protect your bonding gland from anyone that would dare try to attack you. Attacks on Omega are rare, and in the capital they’re non-existent, so you don’t have to worry about it. This is just a precautionary measure.”

Keith reached up to touch at the heavy golden accessory, feeling its weight covering most of his neck. His eyes then drifted to Romelle who proceeded to put one on Lance as well, “And with these, you’ll be all ready to meet up with Allura. She’s waiting for you at the front entrance already.”

“Great.” Pidge grumbled as the golden accessory was snapped around her own neck, the engravings shined beneath the morning light. Each of the new Omega touched them, testing the strength of the metal.

“You’re all so beautiful.” Romelle sniffed, taking in the sight of them. She wiped away a proud tear, pushing them forward, “Now hurry! Allura will be waiting!”

The three Omega were once again herded down the halls, this time expecting to find the entrance way they’d come through when they’d first arrived at the temple. A walk that turned out to be much, much, shorter now that they were all dreading the trip and their bodies were not sore from long travel.

Allura was waiting for them when they arrived, dressed to near perfection with her own pinkish linen and an assortment of gems adorning every limb. Her collar was much finer than even theirs, a series of stones and symbols adoring it. Long earrings tied on a thin veil in her hair made her look like the very essence of what the stories always made Omega out to be.

“Ah, there you are!” Allura clapped her hands. The doors behind her were thrown open, and in walked a series of guards, many of them carrying a litter on their shoulders, the fine chair raised above their heads, protective sun veil hanging around the cushioned seats. The guards kneeled, placing the four litters on the ground, and they remained kneeled with bowed heads.

Allura rounded on them with bright eyes, “Oh, look at you all! You’re so lovely. It won’t be hard to imagine the suitors fighting for your hands.” She bit her lip, excitement shining in her eyes, “This is going to be a successful trip. I can tell.”

Keith stared at the seats and the kneeling guards, “Are...we riding in those?”

“Oh, yes. The estate guards refused to let us take a cart.” Allura nodded, humming at their arranged transportation, “They said that such common transportation wasn’t fitting for ones such as us.”

“This is a little much even for me.” Pidge blinked at the kneeling guards.

“It’s a bit overwhelming.” Even Lance found himself out of place, wondering why the gods gave him all of this. It was strange, especially so when it only felt like yesterday that he was a mere fisherboy. Nobody even batted an eye at him back then but now it was all different. Presenting as an Omega… It gave him a life he never even dreamed of having.

“Now then, don’t be shy.” Allura gently ushered them forward, encouraging each of them to get to a cart so that the guards could help them up, “Take the chance while it’s presented to you. Besides, these litter chairs are sparkly.” Allura’s eyes lit up in delight, walking up to the remaining litter to climb on top of it.

Now seated, Keith felt the softness of the cushions around him, reminding him of his own bed. However, this was anything but his bedroom, with guards beneath him, slowly rising from the ground and making his litter sway in place.

He was a bit spooked but once they stabilised themselves, Keith allowed himself to let out a sigh of relief. His eyes drifted over to Lance and Pidge who were in the same predicament. Pidge, the poor girl, held onto her chair for dear life as her guards finally evened, holding her horizontally along with the ground.

“We’re ready to go.” Allura smiled as her guards moved, carrying her out of the temple gates and into the streets of the capital. They formed a straight line as they moved, with Allura in the front, Keith, Lance and then Pidge.

As soon as they appeared, people began gathering all around, most of them kneeling to show their respect to the passing Omega. Lance looked out in wonder, this strange feeling bubbling up within his chest as he watched ordinary citizens bow before him. It made him think what they’d do if they knew who he was… would they bow to him if they knew he was a poor fisherboy not a week ago? Probably not.

Keith found himself in the same predicament, but instead of focusing on the bowing public, he took the opportunity to look around at the buildings, spotting pyramids to the side as they passed. They were majestic, and he’d heard a lot about them, but never before did he get a chance to see them.

They were beautiful… He’d never seen anything like it before. People from all sides of life bowed before them, merchants, the elderly, women, children, as well as working men. He even noticed a few hopeful gazes look up at them, the scent of the Alpha gaining in strength the more they looked at them.

Soon Keith became very aware of his clothing, trying to cover as much of himself as he could. It was strange to think that they were something unreachable for these Alpha, _something_ they had to fight for to earn. Perhaps them passing the busy streets like this was seen as a challenge for some as well, showing the potential suitors what they could get it if they participated in the challenges that were held at pharaoh’s estate.

Keith wasn’t sure what to think of it, the idea of it all being all too surreal to him. He was never wanted like this before, and now he was this gem everyone wanted to have. It was… he didn’t even know how to describe it.

But while Lance and Keith looked around their new surroundings, drinking up the sight of all the buildings and people, Pidge was covering as much of herself as she could, glaring ahead at their destination. She’d already seen the capital, sure, but she’d never been treated like this by the people. Even for her, this was a new experience she’d never forget.

And as they neared the pharaoh’s estate, the guards carrying their litters slowly kneeled down in front of the entrance. The pharaoh himself was already waiting for them at the stairs, a wide smile on his face as he watched his dear guests take their time getting off their chairs.

“It is my greatest honour to welcome the four lovely Omega from the temple of Taweret here to my estate.” The pharaoh approached Allura first, offering her a hand as she hopped down the litter, “You’re as stunning as always Allura. I don’t think I’ll be able to take my eyes off you even for a second while you’re here.”

“It’s good to see you Lotor. I’m pleased to hear that, this was the desired effect of my golden attire.” The Omega priestess teased, turning her attention to her three trainees, “Let me introduce you to my fellow Omega.” She walked up to the closest one, which ended up being Keith, the unfortunate soul, “Keith, this is the pharaoh; Lotor. Lotor, this is the first one of our three newcomers that presented a month ago. His name is Keith.”

Keith really wished he wasn’t the first to be introduced. He didn’t know the proper etiquette for meeting royalty in this country. He bowed his head, hoping the gesture was proper enough. The people on the streets kneeled. Kneeling would probably be what he should do. But he wasn’t sure, especially since Allura didn’t kneel. Then again, the pharaoh wasn’t making _him_ the queen one day.

“Oh, yes, I caught a glimpse of this one in the temple.” Lotor chucked, his eyes trained on Keith, “A little spy. Perhaps one my spymasters will take a liking to you.”

“Not if I got caught.” Keith found himself saying without meaning too, his usual awkwardness compelling him to say _something_ and of course coming up with the worst thing possible. He even _sounded_ like a surly bastard saying it. Shit, this is why people thought he had a bad attitude.

Luckily, the pharaoh seemed to find this more amusing than anything. He chuckled, turning to face Allura, “I like this one.”

Allura chuckled, “Yes, Keith does have a bit of fire in him.”

She turned towards Lance, motioning him forward with a smile, and moved to face Lotor again, “And this is Lance, he arrived by boat on the same day as Keith.”

“The other spy.” Lotor chuckled.

Lance didn’t say anything, his mind having apparently shutdown under the immense pleasure of meeting the pharaoh himself. He tried to kneel, but Allura stopped him, shaking her head. Lance only seemed to panic more at that, bowing his head and speaking frantically, “Your eminence. It is an honor to meet you.”

“The honor is mine.” Lotor nodded, looking over the three, “A pleasure to see you again Lady Holt.”

“Your eminence.” Pidge nodded, not looking nearly as happy to see him as he was to see her.

“It isn’t often we are so blessed.” Lotor nodded in satisfaction, his eyes rolling over them, carefully studying the group, a hand on his chin. His eyes roamed them carefully, calculating. Keith shifted a bit, folding his arms protectively over himself as the man examined them. Lotor titled his head, smiling, “I hope that your presence is a sign of good things to come.”

“Yes.” Allura nodded, folding her hands in front of her chest, “Aren’t they just lovely? It’s only been a few days, but I truly do feel they’re already adjusting to their roles so well.”

Lotor chuckled again, “Then perhaps this _is_ a blessing.”

“It surely is.” Allura’s smile widened, all the while the three Omega fidgeted in place. Keith tried to keep it together, Lance was on the verge of collapsing, and Pidge wanted to escape as far from here as she possibly could. It wasn’t because of Lotor persay, but because of the suitors she’d meet inside.

She was so not looking forward to this.

“Let us head inside then. As my honourable guests, we shall oversee the trials of the suitors together.” Lotor invited them all inside, taking Allura’s hand as they all made their way up the large staircase, the pharaoh’s estate standing majestically before them.

“This is surreal.” Lance whispered, leaning closer to Keith as he did, “Keith, we’re entering the land of the gods, right now.”

“Calm down Lance.” The pale Omega assured, or at least tried to, “None of the gods live here so there’s no need to panic. If anything, prepare yourself for the Alpha you’re about to face.”

“How many of them do you think there are?” Pidge asked curiously, “Five? Ten?”

“There are twenty potential suitors that came to participate in the trials today.” Lotor, having overheard their conversation, spoke. His lips were curved, the scent lingering around him demanding respect and obedience as the only Alpha within their group, “Some of them travelled for days so that they could come here and have a chance to participate. As you already know, wooing an Omega as a mate is a huge privilege, and many of those that do are seen in high regard.”

“Of course not everyone gets that chance.” Allura reminded, “Lotor was the one who laid out the challenges these Alpha have to face. They’re merciless and test the Alpha to their full capabilities. Be assured that every Alpha you’ll see at the upcoming party has deserved their right to meet you all.”

“That is except for the wealthy ones who pay their way into those gatherings.” Lotor sighed as they all made their way inside the large estate. They were immediately met by rows of guards on both sides, all wearing the same clothing, serving as both the pharaoh’s protection and show of might.

“How do we distinguish those who won their right to be there from the ones who paid for it?” Pidge asked curiously while the two of her companions busied themselves by looking around this majestic structure. However, even though they had their jaws dropped while looking around, they were still listening in on the conversation.

“It’s not that easy to tell them apart.” Lotor admitted, “Although if you look close enough, you’ll be able to see those that were born into royalty and those that had to fight with their blood and tears to get to you. It is an unfair system, I admit, but it’s a tradition we’ve maintained for thousands of years now. It would be unruly of me to change it. I trust the Omega of Egypt to reject those they don’t deem fit, and choose only those that appeal to their preferences. I always warn those undertaking the challenges of our Omega. They’re the pride and joy of our country so they shall not be fooled.”

Lance found himself biting his lip nervously, sharing a look with Keith. What if they were the foolish ones Lotor wasn’t mentioning here? Gods… They don’t even know what they can expect from a suitor, let alone which one they’ll choose.

“Go easy on them Lotor.” Allura reminded gently, “They’re but children when it comes to Omega standards. I have yet to teach them of the proper etiquette required of them, let alone biology and the ability to write and read. If it weren’t for this sudden trip, we would have been in the library right now, studying the hieroglyphs.”

“I apologise.” Lotor turned to them all, “I got ahead of myself. I must say, I was excited to meet you three. I heard quite a lot about you from Allura.”

“And it’s nothing but praise.” The Omega priestess cleared her throat, “However, after their little mission, I might talk less positively of them.”

“We didn’t meant to spy on you.” Lance frowned, careful with his words, “We were just curious.”

“And it is curiosity that killed the cat, correct?” Lotor teased, “I do not mind however, I find those with adventurous souls like you daring and appealing enough. I’m sure that the competing suitors will come to appreciate this side of you as well.”

As he said this the pharaoh rounded a final corner, entering what had to be one of the largest halls any of them had ever seen. This, however, was not what caught any of the Omega’s attentions at all.

There were hot coals all over the ground floor, guards adding fire to them whenever it looked like they were cooling too much. Among the coals were long poles, men balancing themselves on each one, trying to remain steady while carrying bowls in their hands.

“This is our first trial.” Lotor spoke, eyeing the challengers from his place on the floor. He looked towards the Omega, motioning them forward, “Come, show yourselves, perhaps seeing you will motivate them to survive the trial of fire.”

Allura didn’t wait, stepping into the room gracefully, head held high and eyes on the combatants. She stepped beside Lotor, looking very queenly as she took his arm. Her three pupils, however, were not so quick to enter, hesitating by the door for a bit. Keith sighed, figuring it just wasn’t worth it to hide and disobey the pharaoh, especially since this was the whole reason they were here. He nudged Pidge forward, the girl huffing and stepping into the room without another word.

Once Pidge stepped through Lance’s motivation seemed to spike, he followed close after, and Keith followed him. Together, the three of them entered the room, and thus in sight of the Alpha challengers.

It was obvious that they were noticed. All eyes were on them instantly, studying them. Lance folded his arms over his chest, trying to hold back the goosebumps that came with having those stares on him. A few zeroed in on the action, probably finding it appealing. Pidge, for her part, looked away, unimpressed with the display. This didn’t seem to have the effect she intended, because she was zeroed in on by some men as well.

Keith didn’t like this.

He didn’t like it _at all._

He scowled, hoping _that_ , at least, that would deter them. He crossed his arms, slinking a little in front of Pidge and Lance, a subtle way a shielding them from so many eyes at once. This didn’t have the effect he was used to. Where before, when he was a sailor on the seas and more than a little experienced with being aggressive to protect himself, others would slink away, the reputation of sailors and his own aggression working for him.

Instead the Alphas seemed to think this was appealing.

One, in particular, even _smiled_ at him. Keith glared at the guy, but that didn’t deter him at all. The bastard didn’t so much smile as grin smugly, large muscled arms holding his bowl perfectly in place, foot balanced on that thin poll. He only had one eye, the left one having been replaced by a _ruby_ of all things. It stood out starkly from his deeply tanned skin, shining down on them with a red, red, glow.

“The trial by fire is our easiest task.” Lotor’s voice cut in. The three Omega broke their stares, turning to face the pharaoh, who was beaming pridefully at the display, “This is to test the temperament, balance, and endurance of the suitors. They must all stand there without spilling their bowls, least steam rise and throw off their concentration.”

“How long do they have to stay up there?” Lance asked, turning back to look at the challengers, biting his lips as some wobbled dangerously.

“Until the first five bowls have been spilled.” Lotor answered, “The failures of this particular task are permitted to try again one day, if they so wish. The same is not true for the tasks that follow, which are far more difficult, but do not require the failure of other contenders to succeed.”

“Make them wrestle a hippopotamus next.” Pidge grinned viciously, “That seems appropriate.”

“A plausible idea.” Lotor seemed to find that amusing, despite the look Allura gave both him and Pidge at the remark, “It would certainly be a sight to see.”

“Perhaps that would be a bit too harsh.” Allura frowned, “These trials need to be designed in such a way that they would test the limits and willpower of their participants. Wrestling a hippopotamus, however, would lead to a certain death. Not to mention that our goddess Taweret, is portrayed as one as well.”

“That’s why it would be the perfect beast as a candidate for that position.” Lotor hummed, leaning his chin against his wrist, “It is quite a genius idea. One I approve of.”

“Of course you do, I’m a genius after all.” Pidge’s grin widened, looking over the participants smugly, as if challenging them further. If these Alpha think that she’ll make it easy for them then they’re dead wrong. Oh no… If she had her way they’d all suffer.

Lance’s blue eyes looked over the Alpha again, looking them over before meeting gazes with one Alpha in particular. He felt a shiver run down his spine when he saw them lick their lips, a bit uneasy with all the attention. He’d admit that he was excited to come here so that he could meet them all, but now that it was actually happening… it felt a bit overwhelming.

It was much different from what he imagined it to be. He wasn’t used to this kind of attention.

“Is this all you wanted to show us?” Lance asked curiously, receiving a hum in return.

“Yes, but that’s unless you want to see the rest of our trial grounds. Although I think you’d find the sight of these Alpha much more appealing. Nobody has passed to the next level yet, not until the time runs out.”

“And when does it run out?” Keith was the one to ask this time.

“Until I deem them determined enough to stop.” Lotor leaned his hands against his hips, staring up at his fellow Alpha, “So far the ones still standing have shown great potential. I’d say I have quite a few favourites but I’m not here to judge which ones will pass and which ones will fail. Many of the suitors tend to think that their trials are over as soon as they complete all their tasks here and attend the Omega gathering, but that’s not the case. Wooing an Omega is one of those challenges as well.”

“Trust me, we won’t make it easy for them.” Keith grumbled under his breath, eyeing all of the Alpha cautiously but especially keeping his eye on the one with a ruby in his eye socket. He didn’t know why, but that Alpha was making him feel uneasy.

“They’re really different from the Omega back at the temple.” Lance whispered, gently pushing their group of three a little closer so that they could whisper among each other, “They have a completely different feel to them. Dominant, territorial… overpowering.” He wrinkled his nose, “Can you smell how strong their scents are?”

Keith could smell them, now more than ever with his newly acquired Omega nose. He was surrounded by Alpha all the time while sailing, but back then he didn’t present yet, which also meant that his nose wasn’t as sharp as it is now.

He could smell the lingering sweat of those Alpha all the way to where he stood, their already strong scents enhanced by the sweat and the fiery coal under them. Keith wrinkled his nose, finding the odor too… demanding. It alone carried the dominant trait of those Alpha, as well as their lust and want.

Unlike the scent of the temple Omega, the Alpha were much more brutish in their scents, and somehow Keith didn’t find them appealing at all. If anything he didn’t like it. The smell was too strong for his liking, and he had a feeling that if they could, those Alpha would be down here right now, demanding him to submit to them.

“Their scents are killing me.” Pidge complained, closing her nose so that those fuckers could see it, “It’s too strong.”

“It may be a bit too much but it’s not that bad.” Keith and Pidge both turned to face the tanned Omega, frowning at his words, “They’re a sweaty mess right now so you can’t really blame them for the intensity.” Lance noted, “I bet that they’ll smell much better at the party, but even now it’s not that bad.”

“Did you hit yourself on the head?” Pidge moved her hand to touch his forehead, “You can’t be serious.”

“What? Can’t a guy have his own opinion on this?” Lance’s frown deepened, “Be a little understanding Pidge, it’s warm in here.”

“I have zero sympathy for this shit Lance.” The girl defended, “If they’re here, then that means that they want to shove their dicks into our delicate Omega asses, and I’m not interested in that. Even if they were smelling good, which they’re not, then I wouldn’t approve of this.”

“Pidge has a point.” Keith agreed, “But all that aside, I’m not a fan of the scent either.”

Lance blinked, looking over the both of them confusingly, “You can’t be serious. Are you trying to say that I’m the only one finding their scents at least a bit appealing?”

“If you’re into creepy scents of those checking you out then yeah, you’re the only one.” Pidge crossed her arms, unwilling to look back at those stinking Alpha up on those poles. They don’t deserve her attention no matter what they do.

“You’re both too harsh.” Lance tried, “At least try putting yourself in their shoes right now. They’re standing on a _pole_ , over insanely hot coals. You can’t tell me that you wouldn’t be sweating buckets if that was you.”

“But Lance, they smell _repulsive.”_ Pidge wrinkled her nose in disgust, glancing at them from the side of her eyes, voice dropping into a whisper, “They smell worse than Keith did when we first met, and he had been traveling in the desert for a month with almost no baths.”

“Our noses are better now.” Lance justified, glancing between his two friends, “Come on guys, so the smell is strong, it’s not _bad_.”

“It’s really, _really_ , gross Lance.” Keith agreed with Pidge, his own nose wrinkling. The Alphas’ smell was thick and musky, it wasn’t appealing to him at all, and it was so thick in the air that Keith felt like he could choke on it. There wasn’t a thing about it that was appealing to him, it was actually sickeningly downright offensive.

“Why are you guys being so _mean_ ?” Lance balked, surprised at them, “Alright, yeah, the scent is way too strong right now, but it isn’t _repulsive_. These guys will be much more attractive once they wash a bit of it off.”

“I doubt it.” Pidge wrinkled her nose, glancing over at Lotor, who was stuck heavily debating the ethics of having Pidge’s hippopotamus idea implemented in the trials. Hazel eyes met back up with her friends, “To tell you the truth, I don’t even think Omega smell all that good.”

“ _What_?” Lance jerked back, his voice still in a deadly whisper, “Pidge, are you crazy? Omegas are, like, the best smell ever.”

“Yeah, they smell really nice.” Pidge wrinkled her nose, “But not, like, that nice. It’s more like...like...a mom smell.”

“A mom smell?” Keith looked at Pidge, blinking, “Omegas smell like...like...more than that. Not moms for sure.”

“I don't get it.” Lance shook his head, “How are you guys so critical of smells?”

“Hey now, I think other Omega smell beautiful.” Keith defended himself, “I even thought you smelled good when we were all sweaty.”

“Look.” Pidge frowned, rubbing her chin, “Clearly, this is just a matter of personal taste. Like food or something.”

Keith frowned, glancing back at the Alphas. They were still being watched, many eyes drilling into them. They must know Allura is off limits or something, because all the gazes are set on them. He wonders, for a moment, if his month of developing smell has given him an advantage over Pidge and Lance, because the smell of this place is making him more and more uneasy.

He can’t even imagine the possibility of being aroused by any of these scents. He thinks about being pinned under one of these Alphas, the heavy sweat leaking off of them, trying to...to…

The raven hair boy almost gags. He forces himself to keep a neutral face, holding back vomit and swallowing it down as it builds up his throat. He tries glancing back up at the men, trying to imagine what’s wrong with him. The men aren’t unattractive, they’re big, and handsome, but that _smell._

He catches that ruby-eyed man staring at him still, the gem still glittering dangerously in the light. The man doesn’t even look fatigued, like many of the others, his arms not even wobbling a bit as he held the bowl.

Violet eyes flickered away.

“You okay?” Pidge frowned, looking out at the Alpha. She huffed when she caught some of them studying her still, not at all happy to have their attention. She, unlike Lance, didn’t see the appeal at all, finding their attention gross. She scoffed, tapping her foot impatiently, not caring if the Alpha were offended by her obvious impatience. The Trojan girl frowned as she caught sight of the two guys staring hardest at Keith and Lance, though, she felt something alarming go off in her brain.

She had to get them out of here.

Time to play the youngest card.

“Can we see the other challenges you have set up too?” Pidge asked, perking up from her spot, leaning over to look at Lotor and Allura, who had stopped their debate to spare her a glance. She moved past her friends, who had stopped to look at her curiously. She didn’t mind them, too preoccupied with the _wrongness_ she felt, “I’m curious about the rest of the challenges that the Alphas have to face. Maybe some hippopotamus related?”

Lotor chucked, “Of course.”

“Although it won’t be hippopotamus related.” Allura scolded, sending her suitor a knowing look. That made Lotor smile all the more, turning to face the newbies.

“Perhaps it would be best if I show you from a balcony. Not all of our trials are held within my estate. Follow me.” Lotor took Allura’s hand as he began walking off to the side, Pidge and her two companions following after them. She felt the piercing eyes of those Alpha suitors follow them until they disappeared out of their view, finally free of their glares.

“We’ll have to talk about this later.” Lance huffed, folding his arms, “I can’t believe the two of you. A _mum_ scent Pidge?” He threw a look at the girl, earning a grumble in return.

“I can’t help it. That’s how I perceive the Omega smell. Besides, you’re even worse. The musky Alpha scent is _attractive?_ _Pfft!”_ She looked away, folding her own arms in displeasure.

“Hey! It’s not that bad. I’m able to appreciate both Omega and Alpha scents. Nothing wrong with that.”

“There’s no place for the Alpha musk in my book.” Keith frowned, “And the Omega don’t smell like _mums_.”

“Gods…” Pidge massaged her temple, putting a stop to this right now, “As I said, it must be all about preference. We’ll talk about this later. For now look ahead and act natural unil this entire thing is over and we’re allowed to return back home.”

The two looked away, although they did as they were told, following Lotor and Allura as they slowly made their way through the beautiful estate, passing a group of guards on their way before arriving at a large hall, statues decorating it on both sides as they passed, “Wow… These are beautiful.” Lance remarked, looking around at the statues.

“Thank you. They’re the statues of the past pharaohs that came before me. Most of them had monuments built in their memory, however, here within the pharaoh’s estate, we also made these to pay our tributes.” Lotor’s smile was wide, glad that he had the opportunity to show these to the three newly presented Omega, “And all of the pharaohs, amid their rule, managed to woo an Omega to rule by their side. It is a union blessed by the gods, and I’m proud to say that it brought us prosperity over the centuries.”

“And what if a pharaoh decides to have a Beta or an Alpha as their mate? Would it be allowed?” Keith asked curiously.

“Of course they’re free to choose whichever mate they’d like. It just so happens that all of the pharaohs had Omega as their mates.” Lotor informed.

“Weird.” Pidge huffed while Lotor turned to lead them to the balcony on the side.

“I’m sure that you have a majestic view of the capital from within your temple, but I’d say that this is the best view of the Nile you’re able to get.” Stepping outside, the three Omega were taken aback by the sight in front of them. The pyramids stood tall in the distance, and the Nile was so incredibly close that Lance could see the shores clearly. Keith and Pidge were in a lot more awe than him though, because Lance had already managed to find a place within the temple with just as beautiful of a view.

“If you look over to the Nile, you’ll see that some of my men are already there. They’ve been preparing the water trial for our competitors, which is the one they’ll have to go through after they finish the fire trial. After that, there is the wind trial.” Lotor pointed to the pyramids next, “They’ll have to climb to the top of the pyramids. Only those who achieve it within a limited time pass to the next trial.”

Lance and Keith both looked at the pyramids, bearing witness to just how high those Alpha will have to climb. Lance didn’t want to admit it in front of his two companions, but it was admirable just how much they had to go through just so they could get to meet them. Unlike his two fellow Omega, he was impressed.

“Although most of my men are now positioned over at the border, which makes it a bit more difficult for me to carry out these trials. Despite that, however, I’ll see to it that you have worthy suitors visit you at the upcoming party.”

Allura turned to face the pharaoh, her blue eyes examining Lotor’s worried expression. She was surprised by the sudden confession, willing to pry further into it, “Is something wrong? Why would most of your men be at the border?”

Lotor seemed to flinch at that, although he evened himself out again in a matter of seconds, “Nothing to worry about my dear. I’m simply being cautious is all.” He tried to shake her off with his words, but knowing how stubborn Allura was, she tried again.

“Lotor, is there a reason for it?” She asked again, “If you’re unwilling to talk about it in front of these children, then we could-”

“We’re no children.” Keith grumbled, “If you have anything to say then say it. We can handle it.”

“Yeah. Just because we recently presented doesn’t mean we’re not any wiser.” Lance supported his companion, earning curious looks from the pharaoh.

“Is there a conflict going on?” Pidge’s voice was tinged with a bit of worry, the pharaoh sighing as he turned to look out into the distance.

“I didn’t want to worry the Omega residing within the temple, but it seems that I allowed my worries to slip me by. I was being careless.”

“That isn’t a sign of weakness Lotor. You know you can confide in me whenever you need to.” Allura leaned her hand against Lotor’s shoulder, moving herself so that she was pressed to his side, the Alpha appreciating the gesture to wrap his arm around her waist.

“You’re right.” He sighed, facing the four Omega, “I’ve received word that the Hyksos are attempting to attack the capital. We suspect they may be trying to kidnap our Omega.”

Pidge and Keith both jerked back, surprised, and Lance’s jaw almost dropped. No one, however, looked as surprised as Allura, who audibly gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, eyes widening. She looked sickened by the idea, quickly turning to face them, as if trying to reassure herself that the Omega were really still there.

“Hyksos?” Pidge looked disturbed by the idea, “Why would they want to do that? Don’t they have Omega of their own?”

“I could not tell you.” Lotor shook his head, “Perhaps they don’t have enough? Either way, the Hyksos petitioned to purchase our Omega for a hefty sum, but I, of course, could not accept. Now they’re declaring that if we can’t negotiate with them, they’ll have to act aggressively.”

“There’s no way they’re that stupid.” Pidge huffed, folding her arms,”It’s one thing to go to war for food or money, but Omegas? We’re special and all, but not that special.”

Lotor frowned, looking downright offended by Pidge’s words. He straightened up, towering over all of them with deep look of disapproval. His scent radiated that disapproval, thick and musky and overpowering, “There _is_ no more precious commodity than Omegas.”

The three Omega trainees shared a worried look between themselves. Pidge sent them a series of eyebrow raises that she probably expected the two to decipher, but she was dead wrong if she thought they could understand that mess of mixed signals. Still, Keith got the feeling she was holding back heavy disagreements.

They’d still have to work on that eyebrow communication though.

“That’s...worrisome.” Lance, the only native among the three and thus the only one who understood the true gravity of the situation, spoke. His words were mild, but his tone was absolutely horrified. He shared a look with Allura, who was similarly horrified.

“Blame it on me being a foreigner…” Pidge spoke slowly, like she was testing the waters, “...but this sort of thing happens between the Greek cities all the time. Granted, the Omega are usually unbonded, but…”

“This happens _often_?” The Egyptians only looked more horrified by this idea.

“Well, yeah.” Keith shrugged, “I mean, it’s not the goal of any given conflict, but the women and Omega are usually taken as a spoil of war.”

Allura and Lance looked shocked by this.

“I knew women were often taken, but aren’t the Omega usually held in reverence there as well?” Lotor rubbed his chin, looking mildly disturbed.

Pidge and Keith shared a look. And Keith still didn’t understand the eyebrow raising going on, but he understood the general idea of what she was trying to convey. He turned, shifting only a bit as he tried to explain, “They are...but not really to the same extent.”

“It’s more like....they’re valuable pottery.” Pidge waved a hand, hoping her explanation would make sense to them, “They’re pretty, and delicate, and you really want to have a nice one to show off.”

“Unless you’re Spartan.” Keith shrugged, “Everyone wants to be a Spartan’s mate, they’re allowed to run the house. And if you’re male you can even join the army so long as you’re not pregnant.”

“Athens is the worst.” Pidge nodded, wrinkling her nose, “Technically, according to Athenian law, the child bearer isn’t even considered related to the child and is just a walking crib. It’s not even considered patricide if a child kills their child rearing parent.”

The three Egyptians looked downright horrified, shocked by this difference in culture, “Oh my gods… I’m so lucky that I wasn’t born in Greece.” Lance shivered, earning a nod from Allura who agreed with his opinion on this.

“A child is one of the most precious gifts of life that an Omega acquires. I can’t imagine having my child taken away from me if I had one.” The thought was terrifying, so much so that she didn’t even want to think about it.

“That is very worrying.” Lotor lowered his head, chin leaning against his hand, “I’m not familiar with the Hyksos culture, nor the status of the Omega within their lands, but if they’re intending to wage a conflict with us then it must mean that they’re in need of them if anything else.”

“I heard that the Hyksos are greed driven.” Allura held onto her staff tightly, “It may be the case that they want to take us so that they could satisfy their own Alpha.”

“I’m not sure.” Pidge shrugged, “But I heard about the greed thing as well. Although I can’t justify if it’s because of that.”

“Whatever is it, we must be cautious.” Lotor’s voice was firm, looking out into the distance, “I won’t let them get their hands on the Omega of this country. I shall fight until my dying breath.”

“You won’t have to do that Lotor.” Allura soothed, “I’m sure that both you and the rest of your men will be able to chase them away easily. The men of Egypt are mighty, and I believe in their power.”

“Thank you my love.” Lotor’s lips curved, taking Allura’s hand and kissing the top of her knuckles, “With your blessings, I know we’ll be able to defeat the danger ahead.”

“Uhhh…” Lance bit at his lip nervously, “Are we in any danger within the temple? The Hyksos probably didn’t get past the border but just to be sure…”

“No, Egypt is as safe as it can be.” Lotor assured, “It is safe for our Omega to continue on with their daily activities, but if you’d like, I could send a couple of my men to guard the temple on all sides to soothe your worries.”

“That would be welcomed.” Allura agreed, “It would certainly make me feel better at night.”

“Then it shall be done.” The pharaoh squeezed her arm in assurance, earning a loving smile in return. He turned to the three newly presented Omega next, eyeing them all approvingly, “You may have left a bad first impression but you certainly redeemed yourselves. I’m convinced that your coming is a sign of good fortune, to both the temple and the rest of Egypt.”

“ _Hooray…_ ” Pidge rolled her eyes unenthusiastically, “Just so you know, it wasn’t me spying on you. It was another fellow Omega, James.”

“James?”

“Oh yes!” Allura turned to her suitor, “I forgot to mention it but James came to me last night. He confessed to being one of the three spying on us. It seems we were too quick to judge.”

“My apologies then.” Lotor showed that he meant it by lowering his head, “I’ll be sure to make it up to you somehow Lady Holt.”

“You better.” Pidge mumbled under her breath as the pharaoh looked up again, noting the sudden change in heat, “Perhaps it would be best if you returned to your temple now. The temperature is slowly beginning to rise and the heat is becoming unbearable for those unused to it.”

“I second that!” Lance was quick to say, “Sweating is something I really want to avoid, especially in these clothes and makeup.”

“I just don’t want to be here anymore.” Keith stated untactfully, earning a disapproving stare from Allura for his efforts. He shrugged, looking unconcerned now that he was sure the pharaoh was fond of him. He grumbled, ignoring Lance’s own disapproving stare and Pidge’s subtle smirk, “I’m just being honest.”

“Oh, I like him.” Lotor laughed, moving over and patting Keith on the shoulder, still grinning, “I know several men in my army who are going to _adore_ you.”

Keith had at least enough tact not to wrinkle his nose here. Though he couldn’t help the churning in his stomach that twisted in him when he thought of that _stink_ . He kept from gagging at the thought, but he was suddenly very eager to get back to the temple and _far_ away from that stench.

Gods, just thinking about it made him want to take a bath. He wanted it even more than after his impromptu desert trip.

How in Tartarus did Lance find that even a little appealing?

Keith took an experimental sniff of Lotor, only to find himself disliking even his much cleaner smell. It wasn’t nearly as bad the trial room, and it probably wasn’t even bad, per se, but he found that he didn’t care for it at all.

Lotor smiled, “We best get you three home then. We wouldn’t want you suffering any discomfort.”

Pidge was trying to communicate with her elaborate eyebrow language again, but Lance was the only one paying attention to her now, and he had no more idea of her last minute language than Keith did. She huffed in frustration, forced to speak herself, “I wanted to know if there were any more trials we didn’t see before we left.”

“There are five.” Lotor answered, turning to smile at her, “Do you want to see them?”

“No, I just wanted to know how many there were.” Pidge crossed her arms, “You know, get an idea of how long a particular group of Alpha took to pass them.”

“I assure you, by the next party, you’ll see the winners of this trial.” Lotor smiled knowingly, a gleam in his eye.

Pidge huffed, not liking the idea at all. She didn’t ask any more questions, merely crossing her arms and following as the man lead them through the palace. She had half a mind to ask about her father, almost, as a passing thought, but the smarter part of her kept her mouth shut. She’d wait until he visited the temple, give her the time to figure out how her future was going to play out now.

Besides, it was clear to her that _someone_ had to look after Lance and Keith. Those fools clearly weren’t going to take care of themselves.

…

Pidge paused.

Who _would_ keep those fools in line if she wasn’t there? It was becoming very clear to her very fast that, while they were both competent enough, they had a certain obliviousness that put them in terrible danger. Danger that she, as an outsider, was privy to.

Was she the same? Did they cover for her own shortcomings? Did she have anything she was oblivious to? It was something to think about and reflect on with her new friends later.

Huh. It seems that she accidentally found herself a group that was more beneficial to her than she thought.

* * *

Unlike their journey to the pharaoh’s estate, the journey home was even more demanding of them. Not only did they receive the bows as when they ventured into the capital for the first time, but the sun was now much stronger, and the protective cloth above their heads did little to shield them from the intense heat.

When they finally arrived and the guards placed down their litters so that the Omega could get out of their chairs, the three newbies made a beeline for the cold stones of the temple, leaving Allura behind to thank the men for taking the trouble to carry them.

Lance for one, was glad that he was back. As he feared, he was already beginning to sweat and that was a big no in his book. It couldn’t be avoided out in the desert, but he was determined to stay as sweat-free as he possibly could.

“I’m going to take a bath.” He grumbled, turning to his two companions, “Anyone want to join?”

“I’ll go.” Keith moved his arms so that more air could pass between his light clothing, “It’ll help me get rid of the Alpha musk sticking to me.”

“I’ll join you too.” Pidge already began making the trek to the baths without even waiting for them, “So hot.”

“Wait for me!” Lance and Keith caught up to her as the three of them made their way directly to the baths. Some of the caretakers were there to help them but while Lance accepted their help, Keith didn’t care for it, taking off his clothes and letting it fall onto the ground as he walked to the water.

His nude body disappeared under the water, submerging his head to help him get rid of the makeup as well. The brute… Everyone knows that’s not how you take off makeup. Lance rolled his eyes, letting the caretakers take off his clothes before he joined Keith, letting out a pleased moan when he finally settled in.

He leaned his head back against the stone behind him, looking outside at the vast desert. The baths felt completely different during the day. When the sun is strong, the baths helped cool them down, but during the night, they served as a refresher before hitting the bed.

“Nothing beats a cool bath.” Lance mumbled, submerging the lower half of his face, letting out puffs of air to form bubbles.

“I think my skin is more sensitive now after all that lotioning.” Keith hummed, touching his now soft body, “I’ll need some time getting used to it.”

“Shut up idiots.” Pidge bit from behind the wall, trying to sound threatening but failing miserably. It must be the effect of the bath that is taking the edge away from her voice, “I’ll soak here for the rest of the day.”

“If you do that you’ll turn into a prune. A green prune.” Lance chuckled, looking over at Keith, “And you’ll turn into a yellow one. I’m sticking to the banana theme for you.”

“Whatever Lance.” Keith sighed tiredly, “I never had a banana, just so you know.”

“Hmmm… I bet they have some in the dining room. I’ll have you try one.”

Keith ignored him, responding with a single hum before letting his muscles relax and his mind drift to different places. He thought about the Alpha with the ruby eye, wondering if he’ll manage to make it to the upcoming party where they’ll all apparently meet.

He wrinkled his nose, not liking the idea of meeting those Alpha ever again. However, just as he inhaled he caught a sniff of another scent. He sniffed the air some more, turning his head lazily to the side to look at his companion. The scent was sweet, lingering with satisfaction within it. It was undoubtedly the smell of a content Omega.

“Lance, you’re letting your smell run loose.” Keith decided that maybe it was a good idea to warn Lance about it. He didn’t like being sniffed at, having learned from that terrible experience of sweet cakes rolling off him.

“Hmmm… don’t care.” But the brunette didn’t mind it too much, “I can’t help it Keith. This bath is doing things to me.”

 _“Shut uppp….”_ Pidge whined from where she was, her voice tired, “I was rudely woken up this morning so I’m trying to make up for it. Don’t disturb me.” She complained, and the only thing her fellow Omega heard after that was a satisfied hum.

“Yeah Keith.” Lance complained as well, leaning as far back as he could, “Let me enjoy this.”

Keith frowned, letting his arms rest against the rim of the pool, head falling against them. He blinked, the sweet smell of his fellow Omega washing over him, his stomach fluttering pleasantly at the…

Wait.

Keith kept his eyes closed, but took an experimental sniff. Lance smelled good. Really good. Really, really, good. How had he not noticed before? Keith tried to focus on Pidge’s scent, forcing himself to pinpoint it through the heavy ambrosia that was Lance’s. It took _a lot_ of concentration to do so, but eventually he worked through it.

Pidge...smelled like flowers.

Don’t get him wrong, it was a very nice scent, but it was a bit of a let down compared to the sheer mouth watering nectar that was _Lance’s_ scent. Keith frowned, burying his face further into his arms and trying to sort out what was going on. Was Lance just _that_ happy to take a bath?

Keith subtly peeked an eye open, trying to figure out what was different about Lance. But the brunette was just sitting there, lounging there with his head tilted back, eyes closed, exhaling happily. His neck was on full display, long and tan, leading down into his broad shoulders…

The raven haired boy groaned, burying his face in his arms. What was happening to him?

Keith wasn’t a _stranger_ to paying attention to handsome people. His brother was a man who took another man as a lover, after all, but Keith never thought he’d...he’d…

He hid his face in shame.

Was it wrong to think Lance looked pretty? Smelled pretty? He hadn’t thought Lotor smelled good, even though he was pretty. And he hadn’t thought Pidge smelled as nice as Lance did. What was going on? What was happening to him? Was he sick?

He let himself dwell on those thoughts, barely able to comprehend them in wake of the calming powers of the water around him. He didn’t have the strength to open his eyelids again, keeping them closed and letting his mind drift off to sleep.

He was tired, and he didn’t even realise just how much until he fell asleep right in the bath. The calming scent did nothing to help him stay awake, dragging him further into the darkness of his mind.

It was only when he felt someone shake him on the side that he was brought back to the real world, eyes blinking tiredly as he zeroed in on the person. He flinched, quickly moving away when it hit him that they were touching him. His move startled the Omega trying to wake him, raising her hands up in the air, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Shay apologised, lowering her head, “You were in the water for quite some time now so I decided it would be best if I woke you up.”

“Huh?” Keith blinked, his hazy eyesight slowly coming into focus. He looked down his body, horrified to see that he was really starting to turn into a prune. Oh no… He turned his head to the side, moving to shake the sleeping Lance, “Lance! Wake up!”

“H-Huh? Whoa!” The brunette opened his eyes, startled by Keith’s touch just as much as the pale Omega was with Shay. Lance paused when he had enough sense to stop, blinking at Keith, “What happened?”

“We’re turning into prunes. Quite literally.” Keith stood up from the water, unaware of poor Shay who had to turn around from the sight. Lance blushed as well, looking away from the brute, “Geez! Give us a warning before you decide to walk around naked!”

“Sorry.” The pale boy muttered, taking a robe that was offered to him by the caretakers. He swung it around his body, tying it against himself before his eyes looked up to see Pidge already dressed to the side. She had a deep frown on her face, walking around in circles while chewing on the nail of her thumb, “Pidge? What’s up?”

“My dad.” The girl stopped, hazel eyes moving to meet his gaze, “He came to visit. He’s waiting for me in the visitation area.”

“How do you know?” Keith asked curiously.

“Shay came in and told me. Then she saw you two dorks turning to prunes so she decided to wake you up.”

“And you couldn’t wake us up? That’s cruel, Pidge. Look at my skin! Oh god! It’ll take a while before it returns back to normal!” Lance complained, wrapping himself up in a robe as well, saving Shay the need to cover her eyes.

“I’m sorry if I came in with unfortunate news. I thought you’d be glad to hear that your father came to visit.” Shay, the innocent soul, tried. Unknowing of the issue of arranged marriage that Pidge was about to face. She will have to confront her dad about it, now with powers she didn’t have before.

True, she was happy to see her dad again after everything that happened, but she also didn’t feel like arguing. Ugh… fuck the arguing. She was going to go and hug her dad, the arranged marriage be damned. She went through too much shit to argue with him again. His warm hugs were a necessity right now, and she never thought she’d need them as much as she needs them right now.

“I’ll go meet him.” She moved to leave the room, all ready and dressed with her sandals clicking against the ground.

“Do you want us to come along?” Keith called after her, “We could help you talk your dad out of the marriage thing.”

“Nah.” Pidge waved at him, not turning back, “This is a family feud. I got this.” And with that she disappeared behind the corner, lost to them in favour of meeting her family.

“We should go.” Keith turned when he heard Lance behind him, the brunette quickly running off to the side to change, “Come on Keith. Pidge needs backup.”

The ravenette raised a brow, “She said it was a family matter. We should-” He paused, suddenly catching a drift of where Lance was going with this, “You’re planning to spy again!”

 _“Uhh..._ Nope!” Lance denied, hiding behind a wall to change, “You either stay here with Shay or come with me. Make your choice.”

Keith hesitated but opted to go in case Lance did something to mess up the entire thing. He went to change, donning new clothes they gave him before coming out again. They were airy, just like most Egyptian clothes were, “Thanks for waking us Shay. I think we would have dissolved if you didn’t wake us.”

“No worries.” The girl smiled, “I’m just glad you’re all okay and well after meeting with the pharaoh. I was told they woke you up really early this morning.”

“They did.” Lance answered for him, huffing as he made his way to the exit, “Let’s go Keith. There’s no time to waste.”

“Right.” The pale boy joined him as they both made their way out of the baths, “See you later Shay!”

“See you!” The girl called after them as they walked the bright hallways of the temple, aiming for the visitation area where they listened in on Lotor and Allura the day before.

Considering the fact that they had been caught spying on the head priestess and the pharaoh only a day ago, it was remarkably easy to sneak into the visitation area again. One would think that they would tighten security a bit. Keith was certainly concerned; he’d have to bring it up with someone later...and leave out the part where he was spying for the second time.

Either way, it was easy to find a place to hide outside the visiting chamber where Pidge entered.

“Katherine!” A voice, presumably her father, shouted, heavy with relief. “Thank Zeus himself you’re alright! Don’t worry darling, I’ll get you out of here and back home soon. I’ve been talking to the pharaoh every chance I had.”

“Dad, I’m fine.” Pidge insisted, voice slightly muffled.

“Darling, you’ve been kidnapped and held hostage.” Lord Holt, as Keith and Lance had both decided to mentally call him, tried to sound comforting. There was a shuffling sound, and Pidge made a noise as he spoke again, “Don’t worry, beloved, I _will_ get you out of this awful place.”

“Dad, really, I’m fine.” Pidge insisted further, “It’s...actually not bad here. I’ve learned a lot about my biology, and Egyptian culture. Oh! And I made _two_ _friends_. My first friends! It’s actually very exciting. One of them, Keith, has another friend who can read the local language. He’s going to teach us, and I have access to a whole library.”

“Katie...” Lord Holt sounded worried, “Katie, if you’re trying not to worry me…”

“No!” Pidge burst, “I’m serious. I really did make friends. They’re dumb, but they’re not as dumb as everyone else. And I’m starting to think that this may actually be a great advantage for us. Think about it dad, you were sent here to improve relations between the pharaoh and Troy. What better way than to have your daughter revered as an avatar for one of their most important household goddesses? I’m still tied to your house, so this could be a real advantage, and I’d get to stay here and throw myself into my studies like I always wanted! It may not be the Temple of Athena, but this is just as good, better even!”

“Awww! You hear that Keith? She’s calling us frien-”

 _“Shhh!”_ Keith leaned his hand against Lance’s lips, preventing him from saying anything else, “They’ll hear us.”

The brunette grumbled, but as Keith moved his hand away, he remained quiet.

“Are you hearing yourself Katie?” Lord Holt’s voice was lined with worry, “When you presented, they took you away without a single thought. The way I see it, they kidnapped you. True, they may be offering all these fancy things, but the core reality of this is that you didn’t have a choice in the matter.”

“I didn’t, you’re right.” Pidge agreed, “But you didn’t see what I did. The temple really isn’t that bad. I mean, I thought it was terrible at first but then I understood that we could use this to achieve something bigger. It will improve Troy’s relations with Egypt, and I’ll get to study as much as I want. You may need to travel far to visit me but I can handle that.”

There was silence that followed, and Keith and Lance both looked at each other before they heard Lord Holt’s voice again, “You want us to travel all these miles back and forth? Stop for a minute to listen to yourself Katie. It would be best if you came home with me, and then we could continue living our everyday lives. You’ll be happily married, and if you want, we could find a duty for you at the Temple of Athena.”

“What!? That’s not how it works dad!” Pidge’s tone took a sharper turn, “In order for one to become a priestess of Athena, they have to be a virgin!”

“We’ve already talked about this Katie. Your mother and I have been planning this marriage for years. Cancelling it now would be insanity. You have your own obligations in life, and this marriage is one of the biggest ones you have to fulfill.”

“No! I refuse to marry against my will!” Pidge hissed, “You don’t get it dad! It’s not even about the marriage anymore! I just… That wouldn’t make me happy in life. I want to be free… Indulge myself in learning what the world has to offer. That’s my true passion.”

“Oh Katie… Why must you pain your father so…”

“I’m not doing anything to cause you grief! All I’m trying to do is live my own damn life! Why can’t you understand that? I want to make my own choices, and abide by them. That’s how I want to live dad.”

“We’ve been planning this for years.” Lord Holt’s voice gained on it’s firmness, “I won’t give up on it.”

There was silence again, until Pidge spoke with anger in her voice, “Well, whether you like it or not, I have the power to reject the marriage altogether. This country gives me that right, and I’ll use it if need be.”

“You can’t do that.” Lord Holt’s voice was louder now, “This isn’t our land. We’re both foreigners here Katie. Surely their ways of life can’t apply to you.”

“They do. I’m sorry dad, but I won’t marry against my wishes. It’s not something I’m willing to do. As an Omega of Egypt, I have the right to reject anything and anyone. I-I really don’t want to do this, b-but you’re leaving me with no other choice.”

There was sobbing next, and suddenly both Keith and Lance realised that they were intruding on an important conversation. The two Omega looked at each other worriedly, feeling the guilt spread along their chests and take root within them.

Lance was the first one to move, taking Keith’s hand before he began tugging at it, dragging his fellow companion along as they slowly and quietly made their way out of the visitation area. Lance kept holding onto Keith’s hand even as they stopped in place, Pidge’s voice long gone in the distance of the corridors.

“I don’t think this was a good idea.” Lance muttered, earning a silent hum in return.

“Yeah… We should have trusted Pidge to handle this on her own.” Then again, they were worried for the third member of their little group. How could they not be when they knew about the whole marriage thing? And now they learned that things were even worse than they thought. Pidge had it rough, but at least within the temple she could say no to her father and her words would hold power over him. Unlike in Troy, she had the authority to decline it.

“I didn’t know arranged marriages were such a big deal. Heck, I didn’t even know about them until Pidge came along.” Lance thought out loud, earning another hum.

“They’re a thing with nobles, but it’s not like I would know anything about them. Nobody would want to marry someone as poor as me.” Keith remembered all the times Alpha overlooked him. Attractive men passing him by without even batting an eye. Even those he tried to approach shoved him away, talking over him to indulge in a conversation with someone else.

“Well… Nobody wanted to marry my poor ass either.” Lance joked, trying to lighten the mood, “Nobody would even want to date me, except for a crocodile I occasionally met while swimming in the Nile. We had chemistry but in the end I think all she saw me as nothing more than food.”

A smile appeared on Keith’s face, “I bet she loved you so much that she wanted to eat you.”

“That must be it.” Lance smiled, his eyes meeting violet ones. Only then did he realise that he was still holding onto Keith’s hand, quickly letting go with a small blush on his face, “B-But anyway! We should be ready for when Pidge returns. We could wait for her back at our bedrooms but maybe giving her some space would also be a good idea?”

Keith hesitated, unsure of what they could do, “I’m not sure…”

“Hmmm….” Lance hummed, thinking over their next course of action. There was a chance that Pidge wouldn’t go back to her room right away so their safest bet was to linger around the visitation area, “Let’s go sit on the edge of that fountain. We’ll wait for her here.” She’s bound to show up eventually if she wants to get out of that area.

Keith shrugged, not disagreeing. He walked over to the fountain, slumping down and beginning their wait for the girl. Lance made a satisfied noise as he joined, sitting beside the raven haired boy and kicking his feet as the wait began.

There wasn’t any of their usual conversation and banter, too anxious as they waited for their friend. Lance made nervous little clucks and twitters, unable to stay fully quiet, but he wasn’t running off with his usual conversational self. Keith’s lips twitched, somewhat annoyed that there wasn’t true silence for his frayed nerves, but he refused to speak until he saw Pidge.

They didn’t have to wait _too_ long, but it was clear to both boys that they’d left only during the halfway point of the argument between father and daughter. When Pidge did turn up it was with red rimmed eyes. She wasn’t crying anymore, but her shoulders were slumped, and it was clear to anyone that saw her swollen eyes and sniffing nose that she had been crying.

“Pidge!” Lance threw himself up, arms thrown open for a hug. Keith grabbed him, stopping him before he could barrel into the girl when she may not be feeling receptive. He shook his head, standing up and stepping forward, a concerned frown on his face, “How’d it go?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Pidge snapped, glaring at them. They both took a step back, shutting their mouths, but that only made the girl slump further in on herself. “I’m sorry.”

“No, Pidge, don’t be.” Lance stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder and kneeling a bit to stare her straight in the eye, “You’re emotional. It’s fine. We just want to know if you’re alright. You’re clearly very upset.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Keith asked, frowning, scratching the back of his head, well aware he wasn’t good at this at all.

The girl brushed at her eyes, trying to wipe away any stray tears. She looked up at her fellow companions, extending her hands so that she could capture the both of them in one huge bear hug, “A hug would be nice.” She mumbled while Lance and Keith looked at each other, a bit surprised.

Keith, the awkward dork, slowly returned the gesture. That’s before Lance swung his arms around them as well, squeezing tight, “If it’s hugs you need then you’ve come to the right place. They called me an expert hugger back home.”

“Liar.” Pidge huffed, “I don’t need to know your history to know that your Mama hugged the shit out of you.”

“Hey! Mama’s hugs are the best! I’ll have her hug you when she comes to visit, then you’ll be convinced.”

“Adam gives good hugs too.” Keith chirped in, “And Kosmo has a seventh sense for depression.”

“Whatever.” Pidge’s voice was muffled, burying her head as close as she could into their clothes, “I’m gonna relish your mommy scents for now. Deal with it.”

“I knew it Keith!” Lance tilted his head to look at his fellow Omega, “We’re nothing more than her adoptive mothers.”

“But I thought we were friends.” Keith shrugged.

“Shut up.” Pidge interrupted them, “Nobody will ever convince me that Omega don’t smell like mums. Give me a minute, I need to regain my strength.”

“We’re totally her mamas.” Lance whispered, earning a squeeze from the girl. It took about a minute for Pidge to let go of them, moving away so that she could look up at them. She seemed tired from all the arguing, and neither Lance nor Keith could blame her for it. They didn’t know anything about arranged marriages, but they surely didn’t want any part of it, “Do you want to go back to your room? Maybe the library?”

“I’d like to go back to my nest.” Hazel eyes looked up at them, “I don’t know why but I feel really safe inside. It makes me feel invincible, even though it’s just dumb sheets that are draped over me.”

Lance gasped loudly, “How could you say that! The nest is holy!”

“I find them comfortable as well.” Keith nodded, “It’s weird but I feel safe within them.”

“Allura really should start giving us those lessons.” Pidge folded her arms, “We have so much that we still don’t know about ourselves. Besides, Lance and I still have to prepare for when we begin smelling like cakes.”

“It won’t last for that long.” The brunette reminded, “Imagine if something happened and we ended up smelling like cakes for a month.” Lance paused, holding his finger up in the air, “Can that happen?”

“I’m sure it can vary from person to person.” Pidge rolled her shoulders, “But I don’t think we’ll be that unlucky.”

“Are you sure you’re okay Pidge?” Keith asked again, worried, “We could bring you some sweets if you’d like.” And at those words, the girl paused, a mischievous smirk creeping onto her face before she immediately hid it under a puppy face, “You would? Thank you so much Keith, you’re the _sweetest_.”

“Did you see that? Because I definitely did.” Lance eyed her knowingly.

“I did.” And Keith folded his arms.

“Ugh… Fine. Although I wasn’t lying when I said that I’d appreciate the sweets.” She mustered the biggest puppy face she could, her eyes pleading with all the willpower they had until she broke the two, cracking them right where they were the weakest.

“Fine. We’ll get you sweets.”

“Yes!” Pidge happily raised her hand up in the air, “I knew I could count on you.”

“Yeah.” Keith moved forward, pushing her towards the direction of the rooms. He gestured for Lance to follow before pulling away, “You two get back to the rooms. I’ll go grab some fruit or something. Meet you there.”

“Grab some meat too!” Lance called after the raven haired boy as he jogged away, smiling when Keith raised a hand to indicate he’d heard the request. Lance crossed his arms, smiling with a huff of satisfaction before turning back to his distressed friend, “Let’s get you back to your nest Pidge.”

The girl wiped her eyes, nodding with a crooked smile. Lance gave his own comforting smile, letting his hands land on her shoulders, nudging her along, “Come on, you deserve some good nest time.”

Pidge gave a weak laugh as Lance lead her up the stairs, the tanned boy rambling about nonsense stories he’d heard around the village as a child, letting out his inner gossip. Pidge’s mouth twitched into a smile when he explained the ever dramatic love story between his neighbor and the girl who lived three homes down, whose fathers both hated each other because of some scandle with a goat that Lance’s mama never explained to her children.

It was good, at least Pidge was forgetting about how upset she was now. By the time they made it to their floor, Pidge was smiling again, and the sniffing had stopped. So Lance continued to smile and gossip as he lead her into her room, not stopping until she was crawling into her nest.

The brunette flopped onto one of the cushions outside the nest, settling himself for the wait of Keith and their food, satisfied now that Pidge was safely in her nest and working through her argument with her father.

“I really hope Keith gets a banana too. I want him to try one.” Lance hummed, praying that the boy would indeed get a banana.

“Stop teasing him you dork. Keith is too innocent for that bullshit.” Pidge rolled her eyes, happily settled within the protective layers of her nest. Lance doubted she would come out until tomorrow morning but that was fine with him.

“I can’t help it. He’s such a good tease.” Lance swung his legs back and forth, “But I’m especially worried about the James thing. I bet he managed to catch Keith in the dining room. He’s such a sly fox… I can see him doing that.” And it made Lance itch to go and check on the boy, but Pidge was the one who needed him right now so he decided it was better to stay.

“Maybe.” Pidge’s voice gained a softer tone to it, tiredness leaking from her voice alone, “But Keith can reject him if he wants to. He’s sharper than we give him credit for, believe me. Don’t underestimate him.”

 _“Pfft!_ Keith is as dense as a hippopotamus! And he loves those things! What if he was one in his previous life?”

Pidge was quiet for a second, “Holy shit. That could explain why he likes them so much.”

“I’ve just uncovered Keith’s true form.” Lance leaned his back against the wall, voice smug, “Maybe I shouldn’t have him eat a banana then. Hippopotamuses hate bananas.”

“Oh gods… He can eat a damn banana Lance. Don’t bully him.”

“I’m not.” He leaned a hand to his chest, “My only real goal is to protect Keith from the danger that is James. That guy is up to something Pidge, both you and I know it.”

There was a loud sigh within the nest, “I don’t need all this drama. Right now I’m in dire need of sweets. I really hope he gets more than just fruits. A Tiger Nut sweet would be better, or even a honey cake or a folded pie. I don’t discriminate but I have preferences.”

“Don’t get your hopes up. He might get just the fruits.” Lance looked out the window, “At least I’m hoping for a banana.”

“Geez! Enough with the bananas! Listen, whatever he gets I’ll be happy with. I just need something sweet, whatever it is right now.”

The brunette hummed in response, looking out the window at the setting sun. Huh… the day somehow passed by really quickly today. Must be because of their trip to the pharaoh. It threw the rest of their schedule apart, “That guy with a ruby eye was glaring intensely at Keith. Think he might try to court him?”

There was a grumble under the sheets, “He might.”

“I’m fine with that as long as Keith likes him. As for me, I have my eyes on one of the Alpha with golden tinted eyes and dark hair. His skin was a bit darker than mine but-”

“Yeah, I saw him. They were both creeps.” Pidge huffed, “But they were far from attractive. Actually, they weren’t attractive at all.”

“Your tastes baffle me.” Lance folded his arms, “Do you have any at all?”

“Nope, and I don’t care. This is the time for recovery, not bringing back bad memories by talking about those creeps.”

“Yeah but isn't it important that we talk about it? For one, I want to make sure we all get good suitors.” Lance kept looking out the window, so indulged in his thoughts that he didn’t hear quiet footsteps climb up the stairs, “I think I’ll be able to manage but Keith might find it a bit harder. He’s awkward but he has these beautiful violet eyes that just draw you in. His skin is erotic and spotless, which gives him extra points. His hair is longer but it moves to the sides when he moves and some Alpha might like that. I don’t think he’ll have trouble finding a suitor, but the real problem will be when he indulges in a conversation with them.”

“And you noticed all that over these past couple of days? That’s perceptive.” Pidge shrugged.

“My eyes are sharp Pidge.” Lance boasted, “Nothing goes by me. I’d be worried about you too but I know you’ll reject everyone on the spot.”

“You’re damn right I will.” There was no doubt about it.

But unbeknown to the two Omega, Keith already managed to make his way up the stairs, cheeks blushing as he hid behind the wall, preparing himself before he would enter Pidge’s room. He looked down at the three plates he was carrying, barely managing to keep them up all by himself.

He stood out there, noiselessly trying to decide how long he had to stand outside the doors to make himself less suspicious. He bit his lip, fighting back the heat he _knew_ spread to his cheeks. But at the same time his stomach had a painful throbbing, twisting unpleasantly.

What was _wrong_ with him?

He shook his head, willing the red to bleed from his cheeks, forcing the heat to recede and to leave his pale face back to normal. The pain in his stomach didn’t go away though, staying, but at least invisible to the eye.

Of course Lance had decided on a suitor already.

They were brought here, but not everyone was going to _stay_ . Everyone here was here to learn and find a suitor to bond with. It’s what was _expected_ of them, and, Pidge exempting, everyone was actively working towards that goal, even Allura. Especially Lance, who had stated several different times how excited he was about the idea of being courted.

One day Lance was going to find a nice Alpha guy and bond with him.

He was going to _leave_.

Just like mom, and dad, and everyone else.

Keith didn’t want to stand anymore, dropping to his knees and carefully placing the plates on the ground, head bowed as he mulled his bottom lip with his teeth. Why was he so surprised by this? He knew, he was warned, and he still let his guard down. He let Lance and Pidge slip into his heart and take root there.

He was stupid.

Lance was going to bond with an Alpha and leave, and Keith would never see him again. That’s what happened when people bonded, they left. They left and disappeared with their own lives and start families and have no place for you.

Maybe Pidge would be safe, maybe, he’s not sure. She didn’t want to leave, but he can’t help but feel like he’s already lost Lance.

He chuckled darkly to himself. Why is he surprised? Of course Lance would choose marriage and children and happiness over sitting up in this temple. He wouldn’t give that up for stupid, temperamental, not right Keith. Keith with his unnatural desires, Keith who smelt Alpha and violently recoiled. Keith who liked soft smells a little too much.

He hated himself. He hated himself and he hated this.

Why couldn’t he have been born an Alpha? Then he would be right. He would be _normal._ Then he could...could…

He could have had someone like Lance. He could have been _wanted_ by someone as pretty and wonderful smelling as Lance. He could...he could...he could have Lance _stay._

Violet eyes glared at his knees, sneering in disgust at the level of selfishness he was showing. Lance was his _friend_ , he should be happy that he had his eye on someone already. Instead he was sitting here, feeling sorry for himself and wishing that he could keep the other here, keep him from leaving him behind.

He still had Pidge, he should be _thankful_.

Still, he thinks of the ruby eyed man, thinks about bonding with him and courting and leaving, belly heavy with pups, and he feels sick. He shakes his head, realizing he’ll _never_ leave this temple. He’ll _never_ find love, and he’ll _never_ be happy because he’s not _normal._

He has Pidge, he reminds himself, he has Pidge.

Keith tries to tell himself that over and over again, calming himself as much as he could before he would show himself to his two companions. Pidge was perceptive, and so was Lance apparently. They’ll detect the distress in him, if anything then they’ll smell it.

He inhaled deeply before exhaling, giving himself enough time to gather himself before going out there. When his scent returned back to normal, he picked up the three plates again, standing up and turning to enter the room.

“I’m back.” He announced with a fake smile, both Lance and Pidge perking up upon his arrival.

“Keith! Please tell me you brought the-”

“Don’t say it.” Pidge scolded from within her nest while Lance approached him, studying the three plates. He spotted meat which he immediately approved of, however, apart from that there were also a couple of vegetables that he didn’t approve of.

Although as soon as he spotted the sweets, a huge smile spread across his face, “I knew you’d deliver Keith. I had faith in you.” A tanned hand reached to take the banana, holding it up in the air and pointing it at Keith as if it was a weapon he would be able to fire from, “I’ll have you try this.”

“That’s why I brought it.” Keith didn’t have the spirit to banter, giving both Pidge and Lance their plates before he would settle himself on one of the cushions, “I picked up the things I saw you eat before. I hope it’s fine.”

“It’s fantastic.” Lance hummed approvingly, “You can attach beef on a sting and you’ll fish me out anytime of the day.”

“God… Only a fisher boy would say something like that.” Pidge accepted her plate, munching on the food quickly so that she could get to the sweets, “You brought folded pies!? Oh sweet Hera! You’re the best Keith!” Pidge began consuming her food with incredible speed, swallowing one item after the other.

“Whoa! Slow down Pidge! I’m pretty sure eating like that could kill you.” Lance warned, even though he was eating at a quicker pace as well.

“Don’t care.” The girl huffed, tearing into a piece of meat as if she was a starving carnivore, “I’m hungry and I need my everyday dose of sweetness. I don’t even remember the last time I had the folded pie. I ate it just when dad and I arrived to the capital. It’s been about… a month, but it still takes me back.”

“I’m glad.” Keith commented idly, fighting off those dark thoughts as best he could. It was so hard to do though, especially with Lance’s sweet scent lingering around, mixed with his own and Pidge’s as well.

“Not hungry Keith?” Lance noted when he noticed just how slow Keith was eating, barely touching his food, “I know you’re not used to two meals a day but I’m sure you’ll get used to it. I’ll admit that I’m having a bit of trouble myself.”

“Yeah… It’s just… I’m not that hungry anymore.” He found it even harder to keep his distress at bay now, using all of his willpower as to not let it leak within his scent, “I’ll just have the sweets.”

“Okay.” Lance focused on his own plate, and of course, the dork took the banana and began peeling it off, “I’ll just have you try this.”

“You’re so stubborn Lance.” Pidge huffed, “Let the banana thing go.”

“Never.” After peeling it, Lance broke off the end of it, “It may not be banana bread, but I just want you to know what your cake smell reminds me of. Here.” He raised the piece up to Keith’s lips, taking the pale boy by surprise. Keith’s violet eyes looked up to meet blue, all those dark thoughts coming back to him as he looked deep into them.

He willed himself to move, letting Lance feed him the piece before he munched on it. That was what broke him, and soon tears began to fall down the edges of his eyes. His scent began mirroring his emotions as well, losing all control as it overtook the room in mild distress.

“K-Keith? What’s wrong?” Lance leaned closer, wanting to put his hand on Keith’s shoulder but hesitant to do so, “Is it something I said? Or is it the banana? I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“Keith?” Pidge perked up as well, peeking her head out of the nest with a worried expression on her face, “What’s wrong?”

And it was in this moment that Keith felt like absolute shit. He should have held those emotions at bay. He shouldn’t have let them overcome him like this. It was so stupid of him, so incredibly dumb. Now he was making this all about himself when Pidge was the one who needed their comfort right now, “N-Nothing. I’m fine.” He wiped at his eyes, trying to hide any evidence of them ever being there.

Lance gathered the courage to place a hand on Keith’s shoulder, squeezing gently, “It’s okay Keith, we’re here by your side. Do you want to hug?”

The ravenette shakes his head, feeling that if he agreed to it, he would blame himself even more. He wouldn’t be able to hug Lance and feel better when he wished nothing but bad fortune upon his dreams and wishes. He doesn’t have that right.

Pidge crawled out of her nest completely now, both she and Lance facing Keith as he tried to stop the tears from falling down, “Will you tell us what’s wrong?” Pidge tried, placing her hand gently on his other shoulder, “If you let us know, we could help you through this.”

“I-It’s just…” Keith sobbed, willing himself to slowly calm down, “I really miss Shiro… Kosmo… and Adam. I wish they were here.” It wasn’t exactly a lie because he really did miss his family. They’re all he has, and he hasn't seen them for an entire month. It did things to him, that along with the knowledge that Lance would leave one day was tearing him apart.

Pidge and Lance looked at one another, exchanging worried looks before Lance spoke, “Maybe we should have a sleepover? I always had one with my siblings whenever I wasn’t feeling like myself.”

“You know what, I think that’s a good idea. We could all stay here in my room for the night.” Pidge agreed to that, willing to share her large bed, “What do you think Keith?”

The pale boy sniffed, looking at the both of them in uncertainty, “I don’t know…”

“We’ll cuddle together.” Lance suggested, “Cuddles always did it for me, and I’m sure you’ll like them as well. We’ll be all safe and wam.” Lance stood up from his pillow, assuringly holding onto Keith’s shoulder, “I’ll be right back. I just need to bring over your sheets, and then get mine as well.”

The tanned Omega quickly ran out of the room, leaving Keith alone with Pidge for a second, “It really sucks that we can’t have our families here with us.” Her voice was soft as she spoke, “But don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll be here soon. Heck, I bet they’ll come to visit you as soon as tomorrow. You did travel for a month after all, so they can’t be that far behind.”

Keith wiped at his face some more, his eyes watery but the tears were fewer in number now, “Everyone leaves eventually Pidge. That’s how life works.”

The girl raised a brow, squeezing his shoulder, “Fuck life then. It won’t tell me who comes into my life and who stays. I’ll keep everyone by my side even if I have to tie them in place.”

Keith chuckled lightly at that, “That’s _definitely_ not how life works.”

“Too bad. I make my own rules now, and I say that the three of us will always be together. You’re the first friends I ever had. I’m not about to let you leave me in the ditch. Nope.”

“I’m back!” Lance emerged, walking into the room with a bundle of sheets, “Let’s get to work Pidge. You’ll have to move your nest a bit so that we can fit.”

The girl quickly ran up to the bed, “Wait! Let me move it first.” She pushed the nest close to the wall, leaving space on her massive bed for both Keith and Lance to squeeze in. The tanned Omega wasn’t an expert in building a nest, but he’ll do with what little he has.

He made sure to take the sheets he took from Keith’s room, constructing a mini nest for Keith to settle into. It wasn’t big, and it wasn’t a real nest, but it’ll have to do, “All done. Come on now, I’m in immediate need of cuddles and I demand it right now.”

“You have no right to demand anything.” Pidge scolded, turning to Keith, “You all done Keith? Ready for bed?”

“Sure.” The ravenette stood up, following after Pidge when she made her way inside her nest. He settled on the sheets Lance made for him, not a real nest, but he was comfortable enough in them to sleep.

Lance jumped on the bed after them, crawling under his own sheets before draping his hand over Keith, reaching to Pidge’s nest as well, “Look at us. We’re best friends for life already.”

“And I proclaim myself as our mighty leader.” Pidge huffed, reaching out to drape her hand over Keith as well, “Is this fine Keith? You’re not uncomfortable are you?”

The Omega shook his head, feeling warm all over. He wasn’t used to contact, but once he let himself relax into his current position, he found himself slightly puring, “I like it.”

“Of course you do. You’re sandwiched between us. Only a genius could think of something like this.”

“Sure.” Pidge rolled her eyes, “As the leader, I take credit for all this. The actions of the group are always credited to the leader.”

Lance gasped, “How dare! Keith! We should revolt against her! Overthrow her so that we can be the ones in power instead.”

Keith hummed thoughtfully, a small smile twitching at his lips, “Sorry Lance, but the leader has spoken.”

Lance gasped, betrayed, “I cannot believe the level of betrayal you have just shown me Keith! I thought we were a team.”

“And I’m team leader.” Pidge stated smugly, chin held high, “As it has been democratically elected, Athenian style.”

“I’m not from Athens.” Lance huffed, crossing his arms and glaring at the two pale Omega across from him, “Thus, I do not recognize your authority.”

“Oh Lance, didn’t anyone tell you? Only citizens are allowed to vote.” Pidge smirked, a gleam in her eye, “This means your word counts for nothing!”

Lance gasped again, horrified, “How could you? I thought you were my friends!”

“Sorry Lance, but what the leader says is final.” Keith smirked, hand resting on his forehead, “I am but a humble vassal of the nation, you have to understand. Who am I to disobey?”

“That’s right!” Pidge laughed, her arms snaking around Keith’s waist, burying her face into his side, nuzzling the flesh as she buried herself there, “I always knew you were smart Keith.”

“Hey! I’m plenty smart! Smart enough not to recognize your clearly corrupt authority!” Lance argued, leaning up on one arm to get a better look at Pidge over Keith. The two Omega buried in his side devolved into bickering after that, arguing about whether Lance’s opinions about her _democratically elected_ rule subtracted from his intelligence or not. Keith slumped back, a content smile on his face, more than happy to remain silent and watch his friends bicker so long as they remained a warmth by his side.

Which wouldn’t be long, a dark thought reminded him, because Lance would be gone soon.

Keith forced the thought back, trying to drown it beneath the sounds of fun bickering above him. He’d still have Pidge, he reminded himself, she would always be there with him. They could grow old in this temple, safe in the knowledge that they have each other. And Shiro will be here soon, and Adam, and Kosmo.

And Lance would leave him.

Keith forces those dark thoughts back down, pulling Pidge closer to his side, just a little bit. He almost does the same for Lance, almost, but he hesitates and resists. There’s no point, and Lance probably wouldn’t like it anyway.

He’d enjoy Lance while he was here, but there’s no use trying to pull him closer when he was just going to leave. He’d just learn to be happy for his friend, and guard his heart until that day. For now, though, he’ll lay here between Lance and Pidge, and he’d let them bicker over him.

* * *

Keith woke from his slumber with heavy eyes, slowly regaining the feeling of his body as his mind returned back to consciousness. He could feel one of his tired hands to the side, the other hung over a body next to him. He hummed as he slowly opened his eyes, battling through the hazy fog that was before him.

When the blur cleared enough for him to see, Keith froze immediately, finding himself face to face with a sleeping Lance. The one hand that he felt was draped over someone was actually Lance’s waist, his hand resting there as if it was made to be in that one spot.

No, no, calm down Keith. It _obviously_ wasn’t made to fit there because that’s not how it _works_.

He tried to tell himself anyway, but up this close to the brunette, Keith could easily see his long eyelashes that he didn’t notice before. He was sure that they weren’t that long, staring at them in bafflement. He also made a note to notice the delicate curves on Lance’s face, making him appear so incredibly soft that it hurt.

It was at this moment that Keith found himself in a bit of a situation, unwilling to let his fondness of the boy grow. He willed himself to quietly turn around so that he was facing the ceiling, however, even that was hard to do with Pidge draped over his back, one of her legs swung over his waist.

Gods… this takes him back to the time he slept with Shiro and Adam in bed. Although with them, Keith felt more like a third wheel. If anything, he prevented them from getting their game on and _eww_ , that wasn’t something he wanted to think about right now.

Unwilling to wake the two up, Keith continued to stare at the ceiling, soft rays of the sun slowly entering the quiet room. Minutes passed by, and Keith was sure that it had been half an hour since he woke up. He couldn’t tell though, unable to move in a tangled mess of limbs. He didn’t mind it however, letting Pidge move against him as much as she wanted to.

Everything was quiet until there was a silent knock at the door. The person didn’t enter at first, but unexpectedly at one point the door opened, revealing James on the other side, “Keith?” The boy raised a brow, more than surprised by the sight before him, “Wha-”

 _“Shhh…”_ The ravenette shushed him, careful so that he didn’t wake up Lance or Pidge, “Is there something you need?”

“O-Ohh…” James scratched the back of his head, seemingly a bit taken aback by the sight before him, “I was just wondering if you’d like to go to breakfast together. We could talk and then I could give you the first lesson on Egyptian writing. What do you say?”

“Um, yes, that would be good.” Keith’s lip twitched as he instinctively agreed, “As soon as they wake up I’ll head down and meet you there.”

James nodded, eyes on the trio, flickering over where Pidge’s leg was wrapped around his waist, or where one of Lance’s arms had found purchase over his chest. His brown eyes flickered to meet Keith’s own violet, teeth chewing on his bottom lip, “Do you need help?”

“No, they’re fine.” Keith whispered, “They’ll wake up soon. Besides, you don’t want to wake Pidge, I’ve heard stories about the horror of such an act.”

James nodded, twitching as he backed out the room, “I’ll wait for you then.”

The fair Omega left them then, silently. Keith frowned as he did, watching where the other once stood. Maybe he shouldn’t have agreed. James would be gone one day too, like Lance, and what was the point of their friendship if it wouldn’t even last? He wasn’t _certain_ James found a suitor, but he’d be gone soon if he had.

Keith would ask, test the waters, number up the days that were left before someone else was gone from his life forever. He chuckled darkly, even in the morning light the dark thoughts wouldn’t leave him. At least he has Pidge, he reminds himself, for however long she decides to stay. And even after, if she left, they could write, because Pidge wouldn’t have a husband to stop her.

He waited for what felt like hours until Lance finally began to stir, at first stretching his tired limbs before fluttering his eyes open, “Hey Keith.” He greeted tiredly, moving his hand to brush away the haziness within his eyes, “What’re you doing in my bed? Did you come to cuddle?”

“We had a sleepover.” The pale boy gently reminded, “We all fell asleep in Pidge’s bed.”

“Oh… Oh! I remember! We-” Keith shushed him by leaning his hand against Lance’s lips, conscious of the sleeping Pidge, _“Shhh…_ You’ll wake up Pidge.” He motioned towards her, and only when Lance nodded did he let go.

“Sorry. Geez… It’s too early in the morning for any of this. I’ll go back to sleep.” The brunette grumbled but Keith stopped him from pulling himself back to the dream world.

“Not before you move. I have somewhere to be. Help me get Pidge off without waking her.”

“Huh? Where?”

“Breakfast. Now help me, I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Okay, okay.” Lance moved himself and then helped Keith slowly and gently detach Pidge from him. It was a slow process, but eventually they managed to do it without waking the sleeping girl up. Keith stretched once he stood, raising his arms up in the air before he turned back to Lance.

“Thanks Lance. I’ll see you later then.” He began making his way out of Pidge’s room, only to be stopped by the brunette’s lazy voice.

“Wait, where are you going again?”

“Breakfast. James invited me to eat with him. Then he’ll give me the first lesson on Egyptian hieroglyphics.” Keith had a smile on his face, turning to leave the room, “See you later Lance.”

“O-Ohh… Yeah, see you.” Lance didn’t think too much about it, his mind barely registering Keith’s words as he let himself fall back onto the soft mattress of the bed. It gave Keith the time he needed to get ready, changing his worn out clothes in favour of new ones. When he was done, he made his way down the stairs eagerly, meeting James at the fountain of Taweret before they both left for the dining room.

Unbeknown to both James and Keith, Lance had suddenly woken up from his dream a few minutes ago, sitting up and looking around himself. Pidge was beginning to stir at this point as well, and once his mind was clear enough, he managed to remember what Keith told him when he woke up.

Lance froze, his eyes widening in horror, “Oh god! James made a move! He kidnapped Keith!” Lance raised his voice, earning a murderous look from Pidge by his side, “Pidge! Wake up! This is an emerg-” His life almost ended in this moment when his fellow Omega awoke, casting her wrath upon him for being this rudely awaken, _“AHHHhhH!!!!”_

* * *

“You should try some of the fish Keith. They always catch them fresh in the morning. That makes them one of the freshest foods on the table.” James explained with a large smile on his face, one hand on Keith’s shoulder as he pointed to the foods he preferred to eat, “Or you could have some milk instead, but if you’re going to drink milk then you might want to skip on the fish. The two don’t mix so well together.”

“Yeah, I know.” The ravenette shrugged, “I drank milk once after eating fish… I’m never doing that again.” And that’s how far he was willing to reveal. Fish and milk will forever be engraved in his memory as the absolute forbidden foods. If one eats them together, they’re sure to die.

“Ouch… I’m going to guess it was really bad.” James winced.

“I won’t go there, but yes, it was terrible.” Instead Keith opted for a lighter meal, his plate mostly filled with vegetables and a couple of pieces of chicken.

James watched him fondly as he ate, biting into his own food contently. This was a very _good_ morning for him, and as far as he knew, it was only going to get better and better, “So how do you like the temple so far? You’ve only been here for three days, but I imagine that you already have some opinions on it.”

“I like it here.” Keith wasn’t hesitant to say, “It’s a far reach from where I came from, and all this luxury is still… strange to me… but I’m trying to get used to it. It just feels so sudden. It feels like I’ve been struggling to survive just yesterday and now, I have all this before me. Nobody can tell me that the the gods didn’t take pity on me.” It must have been a work of a god, there was no other way to explain it, “I just hope that my family arrives safely.”

James hummed, taking another bite of his food, “It took you a month to get here, right? And I’m sure that they had a lot of work getting their things if they’re planning to move here. I’m certain that they’ll arrive any day now. They could even come today, you never know.”

“Yeah... “ Keith’s lips curved, violet eyes landing on James, “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

“You don’t have to thank me for anything. I’m here to help you whenever you need it, remember that.” James’ smile widened even further, and it was now that those dark thoughts decided to corrupt his mind again because Keith didn’t want to risk forming a relationship he knew wouldn’t last. He had to be sure James didn’t have a suitor, that James was somebody who would stay by his side.

“This may be a weird question, and maybe it’s wrong of me to intrude but… do you have a suitor?” He dove right into it, but as James blinked in confusion, Keith quickly proceeded to explain himself, “Lance, Pidge and I went to the pharaoh’s estate yesterday and we met suitors taking part in the fire trial while we were there. I was just wondering, since you’ve been here longer than us, if you have anyone you fancy?”

“Oh.” James muttered idly, and it was the first sign of worry for Keith. He observed as James’ face twisted into something unpleasant, sending a spear of doubt and awkwardness through Keith’s insides. _Shit_ , did he mess this up?

“I don’t have a suitor.” James’ words made some of that worry bleed out of him, “I just…” He bit his lip, hesitant eyes moving onto Keith, “You’ll think I’m being silly, like really _weird.”_

Keith explored those eyes, noting the hesitancy and the slight fear within them. Was there something James was hiding? A secret that was too embarrassing to tell? “Whatever it is James, I won’t find it weird. Trust me, I’ve been experiencing some weird things too so I won’t judge.” Nothing could be worse than his distaste of Alpha and attraction to Omega smells, _nothing_.

James didn’t answer right away, giving himself the time to do so. His eyes explored Keith’s violet orbs once again, judging if he really could trust him with this secret of his. He tilted his head to the side, breaking their interlocked gazes before looking back again, “I… I don’t like the Alpha smell. I know Omega are suppose to be attracted to it but… I never found it appealing myself. Instead…” James stopped there, hesitating some more before continuing on, “I like the smell of Omega.”

Keith felt himself malfunction at those words, completely freezing in place as he stared into James’ hazel brown eyes. He felt his heart beat a hundred miles per second, clenching his hand that was under the table.

At one point he even thought this must all be fake because James was taking all of his problems and voicing them out loud as if they were his own. James wasn’t attracted to the Alpha scent but instead the Omega’s sweet one, just as Keith found himself to be when they came back from the pharaoh’s estate.

“K-Keith?” James’ voice snapped him back to reality, his fellow Omega looking at him worriedly, great worry now settled within his eyes as they stared back into Keith’s own, “I-I should have known you would find this strange. It’s weird and… I just… I…”

“No.” Keith shook his head, both to reply and to shake himself from the sudden freeze of his mind, “I don’t think that’s weird at all. Actually… I-I think it’s normal.”

“You do?”

“Yes.” A smile settled onto Keith’s face, “There’s nothing wrong with that. A-And it’s because of this that you… don’t have a suitor?”

“I have suitors trying to woo me, but I keep rejecting them.” James seemed to be surprised by the reception of his confession, secretly trying to pinch himself to see if this was a dream or not, “I’m not interested.”

Keith was stunned. Not only did James not have a suitor, but he also found the Alpha’s scent to be repulsive. Those dark thoughts that lingered within his mind were now pushed further back, and they were there to stay. Keith’s smile only widened as he looked at his companion, so incredibly relieved by what he found that he wanted to cry.

He felt a hand sneak up to his own, squeezing gently, “You really don’t think it’s weird?”

“Not at all.” Keith didn’t hesitate to answer, “I think that… it makes sense. At least to me it does.”

James squeezed his hand some more, that’s before he moved to reach into his clothing, taking out an item that was hidden within, “This is a small cartouche. I-I made it myself-I mean! I thought it would help you learn more about Egyptian culture if I gave you something like this. It’s little so it can be strapped onto a necklace. It’s made with gold. I… I really hope you’ll like it.”

Violet eyes widened, tracing the sparkling object dangling from the other Omega’s fingers. He reached forward, gingerly accepting the gift, his newly soft fingers brushing against James own smooth skin. The brunette sucked in a breath, waiting for a response as Keith held up the necklace, the gold glimmering in the morning light.

“It’s beautiful.” Keith whispered, eyeing the design engraved in the metal. A basket at the top, six vertical feathers, a half circle, and an almost square whose last ridge turned inward. Each engravement painted over delicately. “You made this yourself?”

James face light up, a proud smile painting itself on his face. His brown eyes gleamed, soft and warm, like a bear’s pelt, or a warm mug of ale. He leaned forward, voice full of pride as he spoke, “Before presenting, I was able to gather enough money to become a jeweler's apprentice. I continued my craft when I came to the temple.”

“That’s amazing James.” Keith grinned, moving to hang the delicate thing around his neck. This was his first gift from a friend, and it...it meant a lot, especially with recent revelations between them. He smiles at the boy, easing the protective wall around his heart now that he knows James is like him in more ways than he thought. “I could never dream of making something so beautiful.”

“You said you like art.” James smiled, leaning on his elbows as he inched forward, “I bet you can make beautiful pottery.”

Keith flushed red, embarrassed, eyes not able to meet warm brown orbs anymore, “I’m really not that good. I’ve only had the rare sketch done on wooden frames with charcoal.”

“And that’s very impressive considering where you come from.” James reached forward, placing a reassuring hand on Keith’s shoulder, “Keith, trust me, a few classes and you’ll probably be making the most beautiful vases in the temple.”

“You think so?” Keith’s lips twitched, “That seems far fetched.”

“Not at all.” James smirked, “I’ve got an eye for talent.”

Keith chuckled, trying to hide the smile behind the back of his hand, “I’ll keep that in mind. But nevermind me. What does the, what did you call it again? What does it mean?”

James’ face flushed pink from mirth, brown orbs not meeting violet for a moment, the other Omega seemingly embarrassed, “A cartouche. It’s a symbol of protection for whoever's name is engraved on it.”

“Oh.” Keith glanced down to where his gift gleamed against his collar, “So is that my name engraved into it?”

“Yes.” James nodded, reaching out to tap a finger against the necklace. “Each symbol has a sound associated with it. I sounded out your name and engraved it “

“That’s…” Keith found himself at a loss for words, “That’s really sweet of you. Thank you James. I really appreciate it.” This was one of the sweetest gifts he’d ever gotten from anyone, and he would come to treasure it.

“You’re welcome. I’m really glad you like it.” The brunette scratched the back of his head, flustered, “To be honest, I was really worried about giving this to you. It’s usually the Alpha who gives out presents to their courted Omega, so gifts like these are very rare. I just… find it unfair that Omega rarely give out gifts to each other.”

Keith hummed, the smile wide on his face, “Yeah, I think I know what you mean. I’m not sure how those courting rules work just yet, but I know that it’s usually the Alpha who give Omega gifts.”

James lowered his hands, leaning them against the table as he took a bit of his food. His face was warm, but thankfully there wasn’t a massive blush on his face to show just how warm he was. He gave himself credit for somehow managing to subdue it, “I think it looks beautiful on you Keith. I don’t think it would suit anyone else as good as you.”

The ravenette felt his cheeks heat up, turning to look at his food instead, “Thank you James, but I bet it would look good on you too.”

“You think so?” The other Omega raised a brow, surprised.

“Yeah. You’re attractive so I _can’t_ see this _not_ suiting you at all.” Keith mumbled, taking another bite of his food to spare himself the embarrassment.

Meanwhile, as the two Omega indulged in their conversation, Lance was peeking from around the corner of the entrance, blue eyes surveying the dining room in all its glory. Beside him was Pidge, the girl yawning tiredly before stretching her arms up, “Is this why you woke me up? So that we could spy on Keith and James talking?”

“You know how shady James is.” Lance tightened his hold on the wall beside him, “Look at them! I never saw Keith smile that wide before!”

“Hmmm?” Pidge focused her eyes on the two as soon as she spotted them among the many seats, “They look pretty close. Wow… James even has his hand over Keith’s, that’s like… couple status.”

“What!?” Lance yelped, retreating to hide behind the wall, “You can’t be serious! Are you saying that James went for it? And Keith is falling for it?”

“You think I’d know?” The girl huffed, “I know just as much as you do Lance, and the way I see it, they’re having a great time.”

“Don’t say that. James is up to something and I’m here to find out what it is! Nobody will trick Keith under my watch! _Nobody_.” Lance peeked from behind the wall again, eyes narrowing on Keith’s warm smile and the way his eyes beamed whenever he looked at James. He felt the protective side of himself spike, his Omega nature pushing him to help the endangered member of their party, “We have to do something.”

“ _Wow…_ James really is stepping up his game.” Pidge noted when she looked out at them again.

 _“Don’t say that.”_ Lance whined, “What do we do? Keith said that James was going to give him his first lesson of Egyptian hieroglyphics. They’re bound to be together the _whole_ day if we don’t do something.”

“What!? He’s giving him a lesson on writing!? Without me? We promised we’d learn together!” And that got Pidge frustrated, giving zero shits as she marched forward towards the two, “Not if I have a say in it!”

“Pidge!” Lance called after her, but since she wasn’t listening, he moved to follow her. Pidge’s frustration was leaking within her scent, alerting other Omega of it as she passed. Although with the way she was ignoring everyone, the others immediately got the message that they weren’t welcome.

Sensing her smell, Keith and James paused in their talk, turning to look at the girl as she approached them, “Hey.” She greeted, leaning her hand against the table when she reached her two targets.

“Hey Pidge.” Keith greeted back with a smile, so warm that it was almost blinding, “Do you want to join us?”

“Yeah, about that.” The girl narrowed her eyes at James, Lance catching up to her to join in her hateful glare, “What’s this about giving Keith his first writing lesson? Weren’t we supposed to do it together?”

“O-Oh…” James flinched, scratching the back of his head, a habit he developed whenever he was nervous, “Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you up. I came to your rooms to look for you but only Keith was awake, so I invited him for a lesson.”

“You could have waited for us.” Lance grumbled, leaning against Keith’s chair, “You know, because Keith is one of us. We do _everything_ together.”

“I’m sorry.” James apologised, “I had no bad intentions, really.”

“Sure.” Pidge sat herself down on an empty chair facing them, tiredly looking over the food, “But anyway, I’m starving. It’s time for some food.”

“Food we could have all began eating together.” Lance shrugged, taking the free seat on the other side of Keith, “You know, since we’re all _friends_.”

“You were asleep.” Keith defended, “Why wake you up when you could have joined us? Just like you did now.”

“Well.” Lance raised his finger up in the air, unsure what he could say to that, “What if you finished eating before us? Then Pidge and I would be eating all by ourselves, all _lonesome_ without the third member of our group.”

“Then I could sit right here and wait for you to finish.” Keith huffed, leaning on his arms. The necklace James had given to him dangled from his neck, the new metal glimmering in the light. Lance had to repress the urge to glare at it suspiciously.

The tanned brunette grumbled, crossing his arms and sitting down with a pout on his lips, “You know it’s not the same Keith.”

Pidge rolled her eyes and rounded on James, hazel orbs glaring a bit as she wrinkled her nose in distaste. She crossed her arms, basically pouting as she spoke, “I resent the fact you were going to start without us.”

“We haven’t started yet Pidge.” Keith reassured, reaching to pat the girl on the shoulder, “Don’t worry, James wouldn’t back out on a promise like that.” Keith turned to face his fellow Greek, “Right James?”

“Right!” James sized up, straightening his back, “I promise, we wouldn’t have began the lessons until all of you were awake.”

“See?” Keith smiled, looking between his two companions, “James is a man of his word.”

“ _Hmmmhmm_ , sure.” Lance crossed his arms, glaring suspiciously. He wasn’t falling for this, unlike Keith, who was somehow missing out on all the signs that James was sketchy and weird and trying to...to... _seduce_ him.

“Stop picking on James.” Keith frowned, turning those violet eyes towards the tanned boy, “He didn’t mean anything by this. He was just trying to do his best to be courteous. I’m the one who should have waited.”

“What? No!” James and Lance both stated even as Pidge nodded and stated her own agreement with the statement. The two brunettes stopped, turning to stare at each other heatedly when they realized what they’d done.

Keith frowned, shaking his head, “Either way, we’re all here now. You two should finish your breakfast so we can start.”

“And now you’re _rushing_ me Keith? I _just_ got here.” Lance picked some of the food that was in front of him, gathering what he wanted to eat on his plate. He bit into a piece of chicken in frustration, glaring at James all the while he was chewing, “You said you’d wait, so now you gotta _wait_.”

“I’m not rushing you.” Keith defended, “But you should hurry up so that we can begin soon.”

“That sounds like rushing to me.” Lance pointed out, “Just what I was talking about.”

“Guys! Shut up and let me eat my damn food.” Pidge scolded at them both, looking up at them in a challenge, “I want a pleasant breakfast in compensation for the rude awakening I got. Thanks again Lance.”

“It’s not my fault. If anything, you should blame Keith for it. He was the one who _had_ to get up so that he could _meet_ James and then go out _without_ us.”

“You were asleep!” Keith turned to face the tanned Omega fully, “You were barely awake when I was talking to you!”

“Details.” Lance waved his hand in the air, “I would have been awake if you took the time to actually wake me up.”

“God! You’re impossible!” Keith frowned.

“You’re impossible! All I want is for you to wake me up the next time you go somewhere. That shouldn’t be too much to ask for.” Lance turned, deciding that focusing on his food was a better use of his time.

“Why would I wake you up? You should be thankful that I let you sleep. I was being considerate!” Keith turned to his own food, biting into an asparagus before chewing on it, “I don’t even know why you’re making such a big deal out of it. It’s not like we would have began without you anyway.”

“I don’t know if I believe you.” Lance bit into another item on his plate, “I bet you would have eaten and then left without us. If you didn’t wake us up, then clearly you _don’t_ want to study with us.”

“Wha-” Keith was about to bite back before Pidge cut their little argument.

“Oh god! Stop harassing the poor food! What are you? Vicious carnivores? Eat like damn civilised people.” She eyed them both, the so far silent James joining her, “I’m really sorry Keith. I didn’t mean to cause a scene like this.”

“It’s not your fault James.” Keith huffed, deciding it would be best to ignore Lance for the time being, “It’s Lance who has issues here.”

“It’s not like I’m the one who has a stick up his ass.” The brunette grumbled, and Keith quickly tilted his head to the side to glare at him. The two looked at one another in a challenge before returning their sights on the food in front of them.

“Ignore them James.” Pidge pointed at him using her fork, “They’re just having a moment.”

“O-Ohh…” The brunette Greek took a bite of his food, eyes curiously looking over at Keith, a tint of protectiveness within them, “Don’t worry about it Keith. You’re not at fault, if anything, it’s me who should have waited for everyone to wake up.”

“It’s not your fault James.” Keith sighed, “Let’s just forget it. It’s stupid anyway.”

“Pidge, hand over the sweets. I need sugar after this.” Lance pointed to the plate while Pidge handed it over to him.

“Sugar this early in the morning?” The girl asked curiously.

“No comment. I need sugar for what’s about to come. I feel more bullshit coming my way.” Lance bit into the sweet, earning a glare from Keith.

“Anyway.” Keith decided to change the flow of the conversation, “What’ll you be teaching us? How do we even learn how to write the hieroglyphs? From what I’ve seen they look incredibly hard to learn.”

“They’re actually not hard to learn at all.” James smiled at Keith, folding his hands on the table, “The alphabet isn’t long at all. Each symbol corresponds to a sound in the language.” He reached over and tapped his finger on Keith’s necklace, “The basket represents the ‘K’ sound in your name.”

“Ohhhh.” Keith blinked, “Is that how it works?”

“Yes.” James’ lips twitched, “It’s all about memorising which symbols go with which sounds.”

“Sounds hard.” Lance grumbled, ripping a piece of his food from between his fingers. He was still frowning, not happy to be here and still upset with Keith, but he was paying attention.

“Not at all.” James reassured, looking at Keith, “Especially for an artist like you, Keith. I’m sure you’ll be able to learn how to draw the symbols easily.”

“You flatter me.” Keith’s lips twitched again.

“So the basket goes with the ‘K’ sound, got it.” Pidge turned to study the symbol on Keith’s necklace. Her hazel eyes were locked on it, intense and memorizing every etching in the metal. “You’re going to teach us the whole alphabet today, right?”

“Yes.” James nodded, leaning on his elbows still, “After that I’ll help with a few words, but it should be easy to just sound out words and figure things out once you learn the alphabet. It’s not like you’re becoming scribes, so it doesn’t have to be perfect.”

“Says you.” Pidge snorted, stabbing her food, “I’m after ultimate knowledge.”

James stared at the girl with a raised brow, lips practically sewn together. Keith had gotten so used to Pidge’s antics over the last few days that he’d forgotten how odd it could seem to someone outside their group. He shrugged, not overly concerned with it. James was like him, he was odd and would probably spend his life in this temple, so the raven haired boy didn’t think he had to worry about James judging her. He’d get used to it.

The rest of breakfast was spent with James going over the basics of the alphabet while they ate, explaining the basic sounds of the Egyptian language, which they all already spoke. Pidge stood at rapt attention, committing everything he said to memory. Keith and Lance, however, felt that they needed visuals to help, because just hearing “the owl looking at you represents the ‘M’ sound” wasn’t going to help them without an actual example.

Needless to say, after breakfast Pidge herded them to the library.

They managed to find a nice spot once they all made it to the library, settling themselves on soft cushions while James went ahead to pick out some scrolls that would help them. Lance let himself relax on the cushion he claimed, peeking one eye open to look at Keith.

The pale boy was looking at James, a fond smile on his face as he watched his fellow Greek pick out scrolls that would help them. Lance felt something within him snap, pushing himself up so that he was sitting in place, “Keith, you’re staring.”

His voice made Keith flinch, turning to Lance before looking away, “No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.” Lance narrowed his eyes, sending James a hateful look before looking back at Keith, “I bet you’re excited to learn. What if Allura was our teacher? Would that… I don’t know… maybe take the fun away from it?”

“What?” Keith raised a brow, unsure what exactly Lance meant by that, “I’d be fine with it if Allura decided to teach us, but since James already offered, it would be rude of us to decline.”

“Hmmm…” Lance hummed, leaning both of his arms on the pillows behind him, “Where did you get that necklace anyway? And why does it keep blinding me every time I look at it?” The damn thing somehow managed to reflect the sun so that it hit his eyes every single time.

“This?” Keith touched the necklace, his smile widening, “James gave it to me. It’s a gift.”

 _“What!?”_ Lance let his jaw drop, staring at both Keith and the damned thing in utter bafflement. How is that even possible? _How_ did James have the guts to step up his game from simple flowers to necklaces? That was a giant step! Even for him!

“Really? He made it? That’s pretty cool.” Pidge leaned in to have a better look, “I can’t believe he made this.”

“He did. He was a jeweler's apprentice before he presented, and he engraved my name onto it as well.” Keith beamed proudly, showing off his gift to his two friends happily.

“You’re lying.” Lance finally managed to mutter, leaning close to stare at it, and oh _gods…_ It was much worse than he originally thought, “Oh my god… He’s done it…”

“Done what?” Keith frowned.

“He stepped up to the next level Keith. He’s in it for the win. Well… Not unless I have something to say about it.” James may have managed to sneakily give this Keith, but he sure as heck won’t be able to give him another one.

“I have no idea what you just said Lance.” Keith’s brows furrowed, “Is it about the breakfast thing again? I swear, if-”

“Keith! Could you please come help me carry these?” James called out, and Keith happily looked up at him, standing up without even thinking about it, “Coming!”

Lance stared after him in bafflement and a tint of annoyance, biting at his lips while watching the two interact sweetly, “Pidge… It’s happening… I knew I wasn’t going mad.”

“Stop talking in codes and tell me what it is already.” The girl shrugged, crossing her arms while joining Lance in his staring.

“James is courting Keith. I’m sure of it now. First it was the flowers and now it’s the necklace. What’s going to be next? Earrings? A ring!? Oh god! Pidge! He would be able to make a ring, wouldn’t he!?” If he made that damn necklace, then he’d make a ring with no trouble. And with that ring Keith would practically be courted by the guy without even knowing it, “I’ll prevent him from giving a ring even if it’s the last thing I do.”

“He might not give him a ring Lance.” Pidge reminded, “You don’t know that.”

“Oh how naive you are Pidge.” Lance turned to face her, whispering as James and Keith slowly began making their way back, “I’m ending this relationship before James’ courting goes any further than this. I’ll find out what he’s really up to.”

“Lance, are you sure you’re not being a little…” Pidge held her fingers up, pitching them together, “Dramatic?”

“Pidge.” Lance hissed lowly, leaning in to whisper to the girl, “How can you not be worried about this? This...this...we can’t let James do this! He’s up to something. He might be trying to sabotage Keith’s chances with suitors or something.”

“Keith’s perfectly capable of doing that himself.” Pidge sighed, folding her arms, “Besides, Keith seems just as inclined to courting as I am.”

“What?” Lance raised a brow, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Pidge sighs, deflating in on herself, looking very tired by the question, “Lance, Keith and I...I don’t think we’re like you. We...neither of us...Lance, didn’t you notice?”

“What are you talking about?” Lance asked, frustrated, rubbing his forehead, “Just get to the point and tell me Pidge.”

“Lance, why do you think Keith’s been so upset lately? Why do you think _I’ve_ been so upset lately?” Pidge huffed, folding her arms, “I wasn’t kidding when I said that Alpha’s _stink_. And if you’ve been paying attention to Keith, you’ll realize that Keith thinks the same.”

“Are you two _still_ on that?” Lance scolded the girl, “Pidge, that’s not fair to them. They were going through the fire trail.”

“It wasn’t just the suitors, Lance.” Pidge frowned, rubbing her forehead again. She waved an arm, not quite happy, not quite upset, “It’s...it’s normal Alphas too. Like Lotor and the guards. They don’t smell _bad_ , but I don’t think either Keith or I like it. Keith looked like he was going to throw up when we were in the trial room. I think...I think Keith is like me Lance, I don’t think he _wants_ an Alpha.”

Lance jerked back, eyes widening at the words, “Pidge, no, you just haven’t-”

“No, Lance, I’m serious.” Pidge leaned in, “I will kill myself if I have to marry.”

“Pidge! Don’t say that! Don’t you dare say that!” Lance stood up, grabbing the girl’s shoulders, “Don’t you _ever_ say that.”

“It’s the _truth_ Lance.” Pidge hissed, throwing his hands off her shoulders, “I will take a knife and _end my life_ on my wedding day if they make me bond with someone. And I have a feeling Keith would do the same if he was forced to be with an Alpha. So don’t take this away from him just because you think it’s wrong.”

Lance was frozen in place, eyes wide as he stared at the girl, “Y-You support him with the whole James thing? You’re content to watch Keith be courted by this guy? An Omega?”

“I have nothing against it. If it makes Keith happy, then I won’t stand in his way Lance. That’s the kind of friend I’ll be.” Her words hurt much more then they were meant to, but to Lance, they were utterly devastating. His blue eyes were unblinking, staring at Pidge before Keith and James arrived with a bunch of scrolls in their arms.

“We’re back.” Keith happily announced, kneeling beside the table so that he could let the scrolls fall down from within his arms. James joined him as well, letting his batch fall and mingle with Keith’s own, “I know it may seem a bit much but trust me, all of these scrolls will make the learning process easier on you.”

Lance was tense, unable to look up at Pidge even as she stared at him. Both Keith and James were oblivious to his distress as he clenched his hands over his thighs, unable to contain the frustration he felt. He had to get out of here. Hieroglyphs be damned, he needed some air, “Uhh… Sorry, I just remembered that Shay and I agreed to meet today so that she could show me more of the fabrics.” He stood up, curious eyes looking up at him as he did, “I’m gonna skip the first lesson.”

Keith and James were both surprised while Pidge remained quiet, aware what this was about, “You’re gonna skip?” Keith frowned, “Then why did you give me shit for not waking you up then?”

“I forgot.” Lance stood up and turned to leave, “I’ll see you later!” He waved, walking out of the library but stopping in place once he was out of sight. He felt… betrayed and… confused by all of this. How did Pidge even _approve_ of James? The guy was clearly a creep and undeserving of Keith’s attention. Was it wrong that he wanted to protect his friend from an obvious creeper? No, it can’t be.

Lance shook his head, fast pacing his way to his hidden spot. The hidden garden was on the other side of the temple, but Lance managed to get there without a fuss. Even as he walked his mind was a mess, biting at his bottom lip in frustration as he neared and finally settled onto the ground in the garden.

The garden was empty just as he expected, looking out at the majestic view before him. He tried to distract himself but it was a daunting task, especially since his thoughts were a mess right now. What did Pidge mean by all that? She wasn’t attracted to the Alpha? And neither was Keith? It was weird to consider it but okay, those are Pidge’s own preferences. He didn’t have anything against that.

If she wants to reject all those suitors then that was her thing. He wasn’t going to judge her for it. The real issue, however, was the James thing. He couldn’t believe that she would approve of it when it was clearly a scam. James was trying to court Keith as if he was an Alpha, and that annoyed him.

What if he did see himself as an Alpha? It was weird to think about but it could be what was happening here. He tried to understand James for what felt like hours now in this garden, but he wasn’t getting any closer to figuring out what his aim was.

The only thing that came to his mind was a fraud or worse, James could be taking advantage of Keith’s awkward self. No wait, according to Pidge, that wasn't true. So what was she trying to say then? That Keith… actually liked James? No, no, that can’t be it… Could it?

Lance remembered Keith’s soft smiles whenever he would look at James, or even the way he was proud of that necklace. Oh gods… Keith was falling for it. He was accepting James’ courting. But is he conscious of it? Does he know about it?

He wasn’t sure, but Lance decided to focus on the initial issue at hand, and that was the scent. Pidge wasn’t a fan of Alpha musk, and neither was Keith apparently. It was weird because as Lance tried to remember their scents, they weren’t all that bad. Okay, they were a bit on the stronger side but they weren’t _repulsive_. If anything, they were just as appealing as the scents Omega have.

Alpha had a rougher scent but it had its own appeal to it. He likes the strength and the authority that he sensed within the Alpha, but at the same time he also found the Omega scent calming. It was like comparing fire and water. They’re both so different but Lance liked them both the same. Each had a charm within it, separating it from the other. Liking both of those scents meant he had the best of both worlds, right?

Lance sighed, indulging himself in his thoughts as he lay within green leaves and flowers.

* * *

“Did Lance smell a little sour to you?” Keith asked after the tanned Omega ran off, staring at the door where his friend fled. Lance had been off, that was for sure, and maybe if this were a day or so ago than he would have gone after the other to see what was wrong. But now he stops himself, building up that wall around his heart brick by brick. He wasn’t going to chase after Lance and get hurt again.

“Did he?” Pidge wrinkled her nose, “He was acting weird, but my nose is still mixing everything together.”

“I smelt it.” Jame put forward, frowning lightly, “The sour smell means he's upset.”

“We should probably go after him then.” Keith moved to stand up, sighing as he did, “It was probably something I said that upset him.”

“Wait.” James stopped him, a concerned frown maring his face. He placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder, voice softly concerned as he spoke, “He probably wants to be alone right now. Give him some time to cool off and compose himself. He clearly doesn't want to be seen right now.”

Keith frowned, sharing a look with the equay frowning Pidge. Neither one of them were very good with emotional comfort, that was more of Lance's thing. Keith wasn't sure if that was right, because the last few times Lance had been upset, talking seemed to work. Granted, this time Lance ran away.

Lance left them.

Keith shook his head. No, he was being dramatic. Lance was upset and just wanted some alone time. Lance would come to him if he was really upset. It wasn't a big deal. It was like James said, he just needed some time to himself. Besides, Keith couldn't chase him down forever, at some point Lance had to come to him if he wanted something.

“Alright.” Keith sat back down, nudging Pidge, “We'll catch him later.”

Pidge bit her lip, nodding before she went back to the lesson.

* * *

The trio spent the next few days focusing on lessons for the most part. Keith had, under the encouragement of his friends, taken to art classes. Pidge, after quickly taking to the alphabet, threw herself into sciences, and Lance found a passion for cosmetics and perfumes. Then, at Lance's insistence, the three of them had started attending music classes together, each picking up a new instrument. Pidge fell in love with the pipes, Keith found himself on the harp, and Lance didn't even hesitate grabbing a lute.

Then, when those classes where over, they'd meet up for their biology and etiquette classes, readying themselves for their first party, though those were more arranged around Allura and Romelle's schedules. But with time and effort they were adjusting well.

Over all, life at the temple was starting to settle in and become easier on them, and they were adjusting well enough. Especially with the help of James, who was always eager and ready to offer a hand.

Although while Keith and Pidge were receptive to James’ help, Lance found himself tense up whenever he was near the guy. He tried to get his head around what Pidge told him, but inevitably there was this new friction between them. Lance would always feel uncomfortable when James was around, and in result of that, his interactions with Keith lessened since that revelation in the library.

There was this new awkwardness between them, created by both James’ and Lance’s own insecurities about the whole thing. Although when James was around, Lance spent most of his time observing the fellow Omega, trying to understand what he really wanted from Keith. At some point he told himself that it was real affection, and that’s when Lance began thinking about a whole different matter altogether.

Even now as he sat on pillows, surrounded by Pidge and Keith, did he think about it. Although Allura, who was in the middle of giving them a lesson, didn’t seem content with the lack of focus he was showing, “Lance. Are you listening?”

“H-Huh? Yeah! Of course I am!” He jumped, straightening his body as his blue eyes flew over to Allura’s firm form, “You were talking about the courting rules.”

“Hmm…” The Omega priestess eyed him critically, “Correct. And what exactly was I saying?”

Oh shoot… “That it’s okay if Omega don’t receive a courting gift when they meet their suitors for the first time?”

“Wrong.” Allura frowned, crossing her arms, “But you’re right, I did say that right at the beginning of the lesson.”

Pidge side-eyed him, “Pay attention you dork. You’ll be the one that’ll actually be using this.”

“And what does that mean?” Lance threw her a _look_ , earning a sigh in return.

“You know what I mean.”

“Now then. We’ll continue the lesson, and this time pay attention Lance.” Allura raised up her staff, pointing to the scrolls on the wall behind her, “As I was saying, we-” The priestess had to pause when she heard loud yelling outside the door. Romelle’s voice was loud, and by the sound of it, she seemed to be running down the corridor.

“Stop! Help! _Help!_ We have a rogue wolf in the temple!” She was panicked, causing the rest of the Omega around her into full out panic mode as well.

“What’s going on?” Allura quickly ran to the door, joined by Lance, Pidge and Keith who all stood behind her. Allura made sure that the three were safely behind her while she was looking out, freezing when she suddenly saw a large wolf emerge from around the corner, in pursuit of one of the temple’s cats, “Oh gods! There’s a wolf here!”

“A wolf!? In a desert?” Pidge raised a brow, but while they all found it alarming, Keith pushed his way to the front, having a feeling that he might know who this wolf was. He managed to get out of the room past Allura, coming into direct path of the beast.

“Kosmo!” A large smile spread across Keith’s face, holding out his hands as the wolf continued his run. The cat swiftly ran under his legs, but then as the wolf neared, it managed to knock Keith off his feet, making him fall down on the ground before he began bombarding the Omega with long rapid licks.

“Oh gods! Keith is being eaten! What do we do!?” Lance panicked while the pale Omega laughed.

“Kosmo!” Keith yelled happily, burying his fingers into the wolf's fur and pulling him forward to nuzzle his forehead against the beast's. The wolf, for his part, had his paws pinning Keith's shoulders to the floor. The canine hadn’t stopped licking Keith's face since he knocked the Omega over, his busy tail wagging so fast that it created a small breeze.

“Get off of him you beast!” Romelle yelled as one of the cats hissed, “Guards! It's here!”

“No, no, wait!” Keith laughed as he tried to sit up, but he was distracted by the wolf's slobbering kisses as the beast more frantically started to lick, pushing the boy right back down. Keith laughed, trying to push the beast off, “Kosmo. Kosmo, I need to get up.”

“Ohhhhh.” Pidge realized suddenly, “I forgot Keith said he had a pet wolf!”

“This _beast?_ ” Allura made a disgusted noise, glaring at the wolf as Keith was able to wrestle himself up. Kosmo finally calmed down from his over enthusiastic show of affection and stood by Keith's side as the pale Omega continued to rain affectionate words and pets on him. Lance didn't blame her, the beast stood nearly as tall as Keith, and it's teeth looked huge.

And, of course, the guards rushed in just after that, pointing their spears at the beast, “Your grace! Get back!”

“No!” Keith threw himself over the beast, hugging it to his chest, “He's mine!”

“He’s yours!? What does that mean!?” Romelle pulled on her hair, panting tiredly after her run around the entire temple.

“This is Kosmo. He’s my pet wolf.” Keith held out his hands, trying to hold down the guards while Kosmo continued licking at his hair. A chuckle escaped him, lightly pushing Kosmo away, “Kosmo, stop-Haha!” Keith’s laugh was light, convincing the guards as well as Romelle that there was no real danger lurking around. Also, the wolf was littering him with licks, which convinced them further.

“How did he get here? We suddenly saw him running into the temple without a warning!” Romelle rounded on the guards, “You! How did this happen?”

“W-We apologise your grace!” They both bowed, “The wolf came with a group of guests that requested an audience with his lordship Keith and Lance. Everything proceeded as normal until the wolf suddenly made a run for it. We deeply apologise for this.”

“A group?” Lance asked curiously, both he and Pidge coming out of their hiding behind Allura, “Who is it?”

“They claimed to be your families. One of them introduced themselves as ‘Shiro’ and the other as ‘Veronica’. Do you know of them your grace?”

“Veronica!? My sister!?” Lance’s face immediately lit up, “They’re here!? Actually here!?”

“Yes.” One of the guards nodded, “And they requested to meet with both you and your grace Keith.”

“Shiro? And Adam?” Keith’s smile widened, as if that was even possible, “Finally! Took them long enough!”

“Where are they!?” Lance practically threw himself at one of the guards, squeezing his shoulders.

“A-At the visitation area. The-” He didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence when Lance suddenly made a run for it.

“Eat my dust Keith!”

“Wait up!” The pale Omega joined him in his run, Kosmo running by his side as the loyal companion he was. Keith smirked, an idea coming to mind as he ran. He took ahold of some of Kosmo’s fur, jumping on top the wolf so that the canine was carrying him. Like this, he was the one leaving Lance in the dust, “See you later Lance!”

“Hey! That’s cheating!” Lance complained but fastened his pace. Inevitably though, Keith was going to arrive to the meeting spot first, willing Kosmo to run at full speed even when they passed a couple of frightened Omega on their way.

He steered his faithful steed forward, the giant wolf bolting down the hallway and making incredibly sharp turns where they were needed, more than used to the directions from years of training. Two years of training to be exact.

Lance was left long in the dust, the boy simply not able to keep up with the speed Kosmo was capable of. Keith smirked as he passed another frightened group of Omega, tugging Kosmo’s side to slow his dearest companion to a trot, his padded feet slapping noisily against the stone. He was close to the visitation area now, and moving slow enough that Lance should be…

“Keith! You jerk!” Lance gasped as he entered the visitation hall, “I'll-”

The raven haired boy smirked, kicking the wolf's side and steering him past the rooms, his companion's sharp and experienced nose leading him to the right room and bursting through the curtained entrance.

The room was filled with tanned strangers, most resembling Lance, who all jumped and yelped at the sudden entrance. Keith zeroed in on the two familiar faces in the room though, smirking as he jumped off Kosmo's back and bolted towards them, “Shiro! Adam!”

“Keith!” Lance gasped as he burst into the room, fumbling and red faced as he leaned against the wall, gasping, “No….hha...fair...cheater.”

“Lance!” The Omega suddenly found himself jumped on by several of his siblings who managed to knock him down onto the ground. He fell with a thud, but as soon as he saw who it was, a huge smile spread across his face.

“Luis! Marco! Rachel! Veronica! You’re here!? No way!” He reached out to capture them all in a bear hug, but luckily for him, his siblings were already a step ahead of him.

“Yes way! We travelled so far to see our baby brother and we’re finally here! We demand at least an hour of hugs! And that counts for each of us separately!” Veronica happily exclaimed, the rest of her siblings following in line with her.

“Oh gods! You smell so different!” Rachel happily squealed as she squeezed him, “You smell like cakes!”

“He’s an Omega now! Of course he smells like sweets and sugar. Wait till we see what else changed.” Marco teased, ruffling through Lance’s hair, “Whoa! How is your hair so soft!”

“Stop that!” Lance laughed, pushing his brother’s hand away, “Bathing and a lot of lotioning. I’ve never been this soft and delicate in my entire life! Oh! Oh! Wait till I show you all of my new clothes! You’ll lov-”

“Lance!” The Omega looked up to spot his Mama and Papa to the side, waiting for their turn to greet their son. Lance perked up as soon as he saw them, managing to get out of his siblings’ hold before throwing himself at his parents.

“Mama! Papa! I missed you both so much!” He squeezed them tight, burying his nose in his mother’s clothes.

“Oh Lance… I missed my baby so much…” His mother squeezed tight in return, and while Lance and his family indulged themselves in another group hug, Keith found himself in one with his dads.

“Keith! Are you okay?” Shiro pulled his younger brother into a soft hug while the Omega eased into the gesture. Adam joined them, slipping into the hug with slow easiness, all aware how touch sensitive the other was.

“I'm alright.” Keith reassured, leaning his forehead on his brother's shoulder, “It's been an adjustment.”

“Your skin is so soft now.” Adam frowned, lightly tanned fingers running down the pale boy's arm, “And you smell like a bowl of fruits.”

“Lance says I smell like banana bread or something like that.” Keith pulled away, running his fingers through his hair, “I've been treated...real well. It was rough at first, but it's not too bad.”

“And they're not hurting you?” Shiro frowned, an edge of protectiveness entering his voice, “The family we happened on said no one would dare touch you, but…”

“The guards who brought me here didn't touch me.” Keith shook his head, “They're training me in etiquette and such so I can get married, but that's it.”

“That's good.” Adam let out a relieved sigh, smiling at the pale boy, brown eyes flickering over the Omega, “I see they’ve been feeding you.”

“Yes.” Keith perked up, “I have meat everyday now. But enough about me, how are you two? How was the trip? How long have you been in the city?”

“Not for long that’s for sure.” Shiro smiled, fond eyes meeting his brother’s own, “We just came to the capital but before anything else we had to make sure you were okay.”

“What!? You came straight here? After a month of travel?” Keith would be lying if he said he wasn’t surprised by that, “You’re both crazy.”

“Blame us for wanting to see you then.” Adam lightly ruffled through his hair, “We missed you so much. Come here, I demand another hug.” He extended his arms, waiting for Keith to make the first move and accept the hug. The Omega did, purring softly into the touch.

“I love you.” Keith’s voice was muffled as he clung to Adam’s shirt, “You smell so much stronger now. I used to be able to smell you before but it’s like your scents are ten times their usual strengths now.”

“That’s an Omega’s nose for you.” Adam looked over at his mate with a smile, “You’ll have to tell us what else changed, and how the temple was treating you. We want to hear all of it.”

“I have so much I _need_ to tell you. There are so many things I learned, and even more things that I still don’t get.” Like his unusual preference for Omega scents, “There’s something I want to talk to you about but we’ll get to it later. For now I need all the hugs I can get.”

“And we’re here to deliver.” Shiro joined in on the hug, Kosmo sneaking his head close so that he nuzzled the side of Keith’s body.

“But how did you all get here at the same time?” Lance’s voice sounded as the Omega was finally set free of the bear hug, “This must be some crazy coincidence.”

“Haha! It actually isn’t!” Rachel raised her finger up, “We met Shiro and Adam while they were travelling to the capital. We took pity on them so we decided to give them a ride, but none of us knew that we were in the same predicament at first. It was a real surprise when we found out that their little brother presented as an Omega as well.”

“It must be the gods’ doing.” Mama sobbed, pushing Lance closer to herself again, “How else would we meet each other?”

“What!? You all met?” Lance asked in surprise, “Seriously?”

“How?” Keith turned to Shiro.

“Pure luck.” Shiro smiled, “And the will of the gods of course.”

“Must be.” Keith chuckled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear, “Lance, a friend of ours, and I all arrived on the same day, around the same time.”

“Three?” Mama clapped her hands over her mouth, letting out a sob, “Oh! What a blessing we've become part of! Surely we are being lead into prosperity at long last!”

The native family flocked around the matriarch, the woman sobbing out thanks and small prayers to the gods. Veronica looked at the other family, shrugging, “It's been a rough few years.”

“I can understand that.” Shiro sighed, rubbing the back of his head tiredly. Keith frowned at him, noting the way he slumped over, the month's travel clearly having been rough on him. Violet eyes flickered back over towards the corner of the room, all of their possessions packed in a few pages, piled onto that stone floor, a sad reminder of what life had been before all this.

It was strange to look at his brother and Adam, both haggard and frayed, in dirty rags and scars across Shiro's body. The two of them were living reminders of what life once was before he’d presented, what they _still_ would be if he had been Alpha or Beta.

He was saving his family, he was reminded starkly, and all it took was being here and putting up with a few suitors, suitors he didn’t even need to indulge too much so long as he actually attended the parties. It was almost too good to be true, and Keith wondered what price he would have to pay.

Violet eyes flicker towards Lance and then he remembers the price all too clearly.

“But what happens now?” The said brunette asked curiously, “Where will you go? Where will you stay? You don’t even have a house or a bed to sleep on.”

“The pharaoh promised to gift us a house in the capital. We’ll settle there and begin adjusting to everyday life. For one, Papa wants to see what kind of fish he can find in these parts of the Nile.” Luis patted his Papa on the shoulder proudly.

“I bet there are even bigger crocodiles here than back home.” The man folded his arms with a grin on his face, “And after I fish them, I’ll sell them at the market.”

“And while Papa does that, we’ll explore and see what we can do.” Veronica leaned herself against her baby brother, “Surely the capital has a lot to offer.”

Right, Keith turned to both Adam and Shiro, “And what about you? What’ll you do?”

“We’ll leave for the pharaoh’s estate now, along with our friends.” Shiro gestured to Lance’s family, “And we’ll ask if they can make us neighbours. We won’t demand it, but it would be nice if we knew someone around this area. As for what we could do, Adam and I will try to negotiate that with the pharaoh. When we figure something out, we’ll come back and let you know.”

“You’ll get a lot of summons now.” Adam teased, “We’ll be coming to visit all the time.”

“If you don’t hold onto your promise I’ll have you executed. I have that power now… I think.” Keith smiled, earning smiles in return as well.

“That’s right, and you’ll have to tell us all about it when we come visit again. For now we’ll need to settle into our new home and change our clothes. The pharaoh promised he would provide us with those as well.”

“And Kosmo needs a bath.” Adam wrinkled his nose, “We trimmed his fur so that he could survive the heat but a dirty dog is still a dirty dog.” He earned himself a low growl at that.

“I can take care of that.” Keith patted Kosmo’s head, “If it’s okay, could Kosmo stay? If you want him to go with you then that’s okay too but…”

“He can stay. If we weren’t able to stop him from barging into the temple, then I doubt we would be able to stop him if he decided to escape again.” Shiro paused, “That’s unless the temple forbids it.”

“Nah, they should be fine with Kosmo. They promised I could keep him when I first came here.” Keith patted his canine friend on the head some more, all the while Lance and his family exchanged more hugs and kisses.

“This is a start of a new beginning for us all.” Papa exclaimed happily, walking over to Shiro and Adam so that he could lean both of his arms against their shoulders and push them closer to himself, “As far as I’m concerned, we’re all one big merry family.” He looked down at Keith with a huge sailor’s smile on his face, “These two have been telling us so many things about you, so much so that I feel like I already know everything about you.”

“What? Shiro!” Keith whined, “What did you say?”

“Haha! Nothing embarrassing kid! Don’t worry.” The man seemed to know a bit about him though because he didn’t move in for a hug. Keith appreciated that, smiling as the cheerful man pat both Shiro and Adam on their shoulders, “I can promise you that if these cums don’t find employment then I’ll drag them to a boat with me. Nothing will replace the sea in a sailor’s heart! Well, except for you my dear.”

“Of course.” Mama leaned her hands against her hips while Adam gave Shiro a knowing look as well.

“And of course I’ve already found something to replace my love for the sea.” Adam leaned in for a small peck on Shiro’s cheek.

“Oh god… There it goes Keith. It’s the moment where our parents are being all gross and lovely.” Lance stuck out his tongue with a smile, Keith smiling back in return before Lance was hit lightly on the head by his sister Veronica, “Don’t bully your parents. You might be bullied like that someday too.”

“What me? Never.” Lance smirked, “I’m too perfect for amateur affection like that.”  
  
Rachel, who looked remarkably like Lance, smirked, swaying her hips as she walked forward, her frayed dress doing little to flatter her as she approached, “You say that, but you're an Omega now, and I've heard stories about how _affectionate_ Omega are.”

Marco rolled his eyes back, eyes glazed over and dreamy. His eyes briefly flickered over Keith. A tangy smell filled the air, and the man's cheeks went a little red, “Yeah...I heard...things…”

Keith blinked, frowning at the sudden tang in the man's scent. He stared for a moment as Lance's brother's eyes flickered over him, swallowing nervously, “The kind of things that make a man consider taking the trials.”

“Ugh.” Keith wrinkled his nose in disgust, the memory of the trial suddenly fresh in his mind, “I don't even want to _think_ about how disgusting the Alpha smelled during the fire trial. It's disgusting.” Keith crossed his arms, snorting as he turned to Rachel, “Pidge, our friend who arrived here with us, thinks they're all just desperate creeps.”

“Really? Wow… I heard they were all rich folk though. Is that true?” The girl asked curiously and Keith nodded in return, “They’re all _rich_ creeps.”

“Forget that! I’ll forever be traumatised that my brother tried to hit on _Keith_ of all people! _Ugh…_ I didn’t need to see that.” Lance stuck out his tongue, completely unappealed by the idea. Marco noticed, approaching his baby brother before capturing him in a tight hug.

“Awww! You jealous baby brother? Let your big brother litter you with kisses then!” The older of the two began executing the deed, earning pushes of protest and loud yells in response, “Nooo! Let go you idiot! I didn’t miss this at all just so you know!”

“Aww! There’s the love!” Marco squeezed tight and it was then that Lance ceased his attempts, rolling his eyes.

“Well, I think we should slowly go and find where we’ll be living from now on.” Papa sighed, “We have a long trip behind us. It would do us all good to get some rest.”

“You’re leaving already? But you just got here.” Lance whined.

“We know, but Papa has a point. You have no idea how tired we are. Try travelling in a cart for over ten days and we’ll see how you feel.” Luis stretched up his arms tiredly, hearing them crack.

“Will you be leaving too?” Keith turned to Shiro who nodded in return.

“It would be best if we could settle together, but we’ll stay longer if you need us to.” Although judging by their appearances, both Shiro and Adam were tired, dirty, and in need of heavy sleep.

“We _will_ be back soon.” Shiro promised, patting Keith's shoulders, “I promise. We just need to settle in and set up a life first. Then we'll come by every day.”

“Take your time.” Keith smiled, moving forward to embrace his brother gently, “Making sure you're stable is more important than making sure you see me _every_ day. I don't want you on the _street_ or something.”

“We’ll have jobs soon.” Adam chuckled, moving in to give the pale boy his own hug. “Don't you worry about us for one minute. Next time you see us we'll be well rested and ready to hear everything you have to say about the temple.”

“You guys can meet Pidge!” Lance beamed as he pulled away from his family, chest puffing with pride. “You guys will love her.”

“Yeah.” Keith nodded in agreement, lips twitching, “She's very smart, you'll love her. Oh, and James, he's been very helpful the last few days.”

Lance wrinkled his nose, “Yeah...James.”

Shiro sniffed, wiping a stray lock a hair behind Keith's ear, smiling warmly. “I'm so proud of you Keith. You've come a long way since you were a scrappy little kid.”

“We both are.” Adam stated as he moved to pet Kosmo, “You be a good boy now, make sure to keep an eye on Keith. You know how he gets.”

Kosmo’s ears flickered as he tilted his head, tail wagging against the floor. Keith smiled, his hand finding Kosmo's sheared fur. He hadn't noticed before, but the wolf really did smell awful. Everyone in this room did. But instead of being disgusted, the pale boy just found himself smiling fondly.

“It was a pleasure to meet you sir.” Lance offered his hand to Shiro and then Adam, “And thank you for helping my family get through the desert on their own.”

“It was them who helped us actually.” Shiro smiled, accepting Lance’s handshake, “Unexpectedly we all came together like this. I’m really glad we have someone we can trust within the capital now, and I’m glad that Keith has found a friend too.”

“But it’s unexpected that the both of you already know each other. We were planning to set you both up.” Adam revealed, shaking Lance’s hand next.

“I should have known.” Keith huffed but wasn’t mad about it, “There’s no way I wouldn’t meet Lance. He’s the loudest one in the dining room. We would have met eventually.”

“I’m not _that_ loud Keith. But I doubt you would have had the courage to approach me. You’re shy like that.” Lance teased while Keith turned around, “Maybe.”

“Hahaha! Oh well, we should get going now. We’ll come and visit as soon as we’re rested and settled into our new homes. And who knows? Maybe you’ll even be able to visit?” Papa suggested with a bright smile.

“Maybe we could.” Lance hummed, “Allura said this wasn’t a prison multiple times. I think she’d let us out if we stayed within the capital. But… we’ll probably be accompanied by guards so be prepared for that.”

“Wow… My little brother is royalty now. I’m so proud.” Rachel brushed away an imaginary tear.

“That’s right. I’m above you all now.” The brunette leaned his hands against his hips smugly, looking down at his family before Marco and Luis tackled him into another hug.

“You’ll always be fisherboy Lance to us. Not to mention the baby of the family.” Marco teased, joined by his brother.

“We’ll come and dote on you even when you find yourself a mate.”

“What!? Oh nope! You can’t do that!” Lance beamed red, “You’d destroy me!”

“Too bad baby brother. We’re set on embarrassing you and you can’t stop that.” The two teased further, and after they let him out of their grasps, Mama and Papa approached to embrace their son again before they’d all leave.

Adam and Shiro said their goodbyes for now as well, hugging Keith before they’d join the big family out of the temple, “We’ll be back soon Keith. I promised, and I’ll keep that promise.”

“Of course.” The ravenette smiled, “I believe you Shiro, always have.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MsBluebell: I have been accidentally sabotaging our writing efforts and I'm so sorry. XD
> 
> BlueStarPaladin: Ugh... I'm not proud of this image but we gotta update so here it is. Also, I just came back from seeing Aquaman and I'm in LOVE! AHHHHH!
> 
> Chapter Betaed by the wonderful SilviaMoon.
> 
> Tumblr:  
> MsBluebell: [msbluebell](http://msbluebell.tumblr.com/)  
> BlueStarPaladin: [starellas](https://starellas.tumblr.com/)


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